Pop star Britney Spears pleaded guilty through her lawyer on Monday to a lesser charge of reckless driving stemming from her arrest last month on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The 44-year-old was not required to appear in court. Spears attorney, Michael A. Goldstein, appeared on her behalf.
Spears admitted to violating California’s “wet reckless” law, which provides plea options in some DUI cases and can be offered at the county prosecutor’s discretion. The law applies to defendants without a prior DUI history and a low blood-alcohol level in a case not involving a crash or injuries.
She was sentenced to 12 months of probation and one day of jail, credited as time served, as well as a required DUI class and state-mandated fines.
“Through her plea today, Britney has accepted responsibility for her conduct,” Goldstein said in a statement.
“She has taken significant steps to implement positive change which is clearly reflected in the Ventura County District Attorney’s decision to reduce the charge in this case and dismiss the DUI. Britney appreciates this discretion and is also grateful for the outpouring of support she has received.”
Spears, 44, was arrested on March 4 by California Highway Patrol officers 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 on the 101 Freeway in the Newbury Park area and called 911.
CHP officers pulled Spears over for driving her black BMW 430i erratically. She appeared to be impaired and took a series of field sobriety tests, the CHP said.
Spears, the car’s lone occupant, was arrested and later released from custody.
Authorities said in the criminal complaint that Spears had alcohol and drugs in her system, but they didn’t disclose what substance or list her blood alcohol content.
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.
Britney Spears described her brief marriage to model Sam Asghari during a difficult time and explained why it felt like a “fake distraction.”
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.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nbclosangeles.com ’
