By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES, April 30 (Reuters) – Pop singer Britney Spears was charged on Thursday with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after she was arrested near her California home in March.
Spears, 44, will be offered the chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol and/or drugs at a court hearing on Monday, according to a statement from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. This is a common resolution for someone who has shown a willingness to undergo treatment, the statement said, and typically carries a sentence of 12 months on probation.
A representative for Spears said this month that the singer had voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation facility. Spears is not required to attend the hearing on Monday. Her lawyers can appear on her behalf.
A spokesperson for the singer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Spears was arrested in March after authorities received a report of a black BMW traveling erratically at high speed. Officers located the vehicle and arrested Spears after observing signs of impairment, the California Highway Patrol said at the time.
The “Baby One More Time” singer had been under a conservatorship that controlled many of her personal and financial decisions for 13 years until a judge released her from the arrangement in 2021.
Fans had launched a “Free Britney” movement and argued that Spears did not need supervision. Her family said Spears suffered from mental illness and the conservatorship was meant to protect her and her $60 million estate.
In 2007, Spears was charged with one count of hit-and-run causing property damage and one count of driving without a valid California driver’s license, both misdemeanors. She also was hospitalized for undisclosed mental health issues that year.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by David Gregorio)
