Britney Spears pleads guilty to reckless driving in DUI case

VENTURA: Pop star Britney Spears settled her case of driving under the influence ​of drugs and alcohol by pleading guilty on Monday to a lesser charge of reckless driving that reduces the probationary time ‌she otherwise would have faced.

Spears’ lawyers entered the plea on her behalf during a brief hearing in Ventura County Superior Court, north of Los Angeles. The 44-year-old singer was not required to attend the proceeding because it was a misdemeanor case, and she was not present.

Spears, whose sometimes turbulent personal life has frequently overshadowed her showbiz career, was originally charged ​with a single count of driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol after California Highway Patrol officers arrested her in March.

Police ​tracked down Spears and her vehicle in response to a report of a motorist who was seen driving erratically ⁠in a black BMW at high speed in Ventura County. She was taken into custody when officers observed her exhibiting signs of impairment, the Highway ​Patrol said at the time.

A legal filing said the recording artist drove under the influence of a combination of alcohol and at least one drug. It did not ​specify which substances authorities believe she used.

She was offered the chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol and drugs, a common resolution for someone who has no prior DUI history, did not crash and has shown a willingness to undergo treatment, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Terms of deal

The reckless driving alternative ​carries a sentence of 12 months on unsupervised probation. Had she been convicted of the more serious DUI offense, she would have been placed on ​probation for three years.

If Spears re-offends while on probation, she would face another DUI charge with tougher penalties that could potentially include a year in jail and five years ‌of probation, ⁠District Attorney Erik Nasarenko told reporters after the hearing.

There are no restrictions on her driving privileges other than a strict prohibition on getting behind the wheel with any level of intoxicants in her body. And if pulled over for any reason, she must submit to a blood-alcohol test and search of her vehicle.

As part of the plea deal, Spears also must complete a 30-hour program of alcohol-abuse education and continue her regimen of individual mental health therapy sessions once ​a week, along with twice-monthly visits ​with a psychiatrist, court Commissioner Matthew ⁠Nemerson ordered.

A representative for the Grammy-winning performer said in April that Spears had voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation facility after the DUI arrest.

Media reports said Spears had completed her in-person treatment last week and returned home, where she would ​continue counseling remotely. Her representatives did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

Spears, who sprang to fame ​in 1999 with her ⁠chart-topping debut album “…Baby One More Time” and its title track, 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, the ​Mississippi-born performer 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.