Britney Spears has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence following an incident in California in March. The pop superstar, 44, faced a single misdemeanor DUI charge from prosecutors in Ventura County.
Incident Details
According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Spears was pulled over on March 4 by California Highway Patrol officers. A 911 dispatch audio obtained by US Weekly described her black BMW 2026 convertible as braking erratically, swerving, and driving without a taillight.
At an arraignment on Monday at a Ventura County courthouse, Spears pleaded guilty through her defense lawyer to driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, as reported by The New York Times.
Booking and Release
Spears was booked by the sheriff's office around 3 a.m. on Wednesday and released from custody hours later. Her representative told The Independent at the time, "This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable. Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law... Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time."
Earlier this month, her representative confirmed she had voluntarily checked into a treatment center.
Legal and Personal History
This is not Spears's first legal issue. In 2007, she avoided a criminal hit-and-run trial by paying for damages after colliding with another vehicle in a California parking lot. Shortly after, she lost custody of her two sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline: Sean Preston Federline, now 20, and Jayden James Federline, now 19.
In 2008, Spears was placed under a conservatorship controlled by her father, Jamie Spears, which was lifted in November 2021 after 13 years. The Grammy-winning "Toxic" singer has also faced controversy over her social media activity, which she addressed in her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, saying she gets "joy" from "posing the way I feel sexy."
After the DUI incident, Spears temporarily deactivated her Instagram account, but it has since been reinstated.
