Rose McGowan‘s previous felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor, PEOPLE confirms.
The formerCharmedactress, 45, was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance in February 2017 but has agreed to plead no contest in her upcoming court appearance on Jan. 15 in Loudoun County, Virginia.
She previously asked for her case to be dismissed buta judge refused to do soin March 2018.
McGowan’s lawyer, Jim Hundley tells PEOPLE in a statement, “The Commonwealth and Ms. McGowan have reached a plea agreement in her case. The Commonwealth has agreed to reduce the current felony charge to a misdemeanor of possession of a controlled substance.”
He continued, “Ms. McGowan will enter a plea of no contest to the reduced charge when she appears in court on January 15, and the Commonwealth will recommend a sentence that requires Ms. McGowan to pay a fine.”
Hundley added the actress “accepted this agreement in order to spare her family, her friends, and her supporters the emotional strain of a criminal trial. The agreement brings this ordeal to an end and allows her to focus all of her energy on what matters most to her – creating a better world. Ms. McGowan will comment on the day of the plea.”
AP/Shutterstock
McGowan was arrested in Nov. 2017 in relation to a warrant for felony possession of a controlled substance. Her arrest came after an airport employee allegedly found the actress’ wallet with two bags of white powder inside, which police say latertested positive for cocaine, on a United flight arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport earlier that year in January.
WATCH: Meet the Silence-Breakers Who Are Changing the World with Time’s Up and #MeToo
McGowan was made aware that there was a warrant out for her arrest after she brought up the incident on social media in October. At the time, she claimed the warrant was part of a conspiracy to silence her.
“It is now public knowledge that Weinstein employed underhanded tactics to ‘silence’ his victims,” Carmichael argued according to the February court documents, citing reports thatWeinstein hired intelligence agenciesto spy on his accusers.
source: people.com
