I have to say if this case ever reached court it would be laughed out of there in five minutes.
The comparitively minor charges of being drunk and disorderly and drug possession have been included to increase the chances of some mud sticking, it appears. However, there was never any evidence that Barrymore was guilty of the serious charge of assault.
This article -
http://www.marksimpson.com/pages/jou...rymoreint.html - has an alternative view from what has been reported in the press.