Pop star Britney Spears has been charged with misdemeanor DUI after she was pulled over last month by California Highway Patrol officers on a Southern California freeway.
Spears’ arraignment was scheduled for Monday morning in Ventura County Superior Court. She is not required to attend due to the misdemeanor-level charge.
Spears, 44, was arrested March 4 in the community of Westlake Village near the Los Angeles and Ventura county border northwest of LA. Law enforcement told NBC4 Investigates that another driver saw someone driving erratically in the Newbury Park area and called 911.
CHP officers located the BMW 430i near Westlake Boulevard and initiated a traffic stop. The driver exited the 101 Freeway in Westlake Village and pulled to the shoulder, authorities said.
Spears, the car’s lone occupant, was later released from custody.
In a statement, Ventura County prosecutors explained plea options and possible sentencing guidelines that apply to the case under California “wet reckless” law. The protocol offered by prosecutors typically applies to defendants without a prior DUi history and a low blood-alcohol level in an incident that does not involve a crash or injury.
“This law allows a defendant to plead guilty to reckless driving involving alcohol and/or drugs,” prosecutors said in a statement. “This type of resolution is common, particularly when a defendant demonstrates self-motivation to address underlying issues through rehabilitation or a drug and alcohol treatment program. Under that offer, a defendant is placed on probation for 12 months, receives credit for any time spent in custody, is required to complete a DUI class, and must pay state-mandated fines and fees.
“This offer will be extended to Ms. Spears on Monday.”
Her representative released a statement after the arrest.
“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” Spears’ representative told NBC4 Investigates. “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.
“Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well being.”
Spears has two children with her ex-husband, Kevin Federline.
Spears’ Instagram account, frequently updated with videos of her dancing in her Thousand Oaks home, appeared to be taken down that morning.
She later voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility, according to a representative for the pop star. The representative did not provide any other details about the decision, including where and why Spears plans to seek treatment.
The Grammy winning pop star’s arrest came about five years after she was released by a judge from a controversial conservatorship that gave her father control over her finances and career for more than a decade. Jamie Spears was named conservator after his daughter suffered a series of mental health crises in the early 2000s.
Spears shared her experience under the conservatorship in her best-selling 2023 memoir “The Woman In Me,” describing how her life was controlled by others.
The Mississippi native ended up at the center of the #FreeBritney campaign that supported her efforts to be granted authority over her medical, personal and financial decisions. After Spears’ conservatorship case unfolded in the public eye, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that limited conservatorships that grant legal guardianship over individuals.
Spears, who has not previously been arrested, was behind some of music’s biggest pop hits, including “…Baby One More Time,” “Oops!… I Did It Again!,” “Womanizer” and “I’m a Slave 4 U.” Spears won her first Grammy in 2004 for Best Dance Recording for “Toxic.”
Earlier this year, Spears sold the rights to her music catalog.
