Britney Spears Charged with DUI Misdemeanour, Offered Lesser Plea Deal

Pop singer Britney Spears was charged with one misdemeanour 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’ 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, as 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 travelling erratically at high speed. Officers located the vehicle and arrested her 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, arguing that she did not need supervision. Her family said Spears suffered from mental illness and that the conservatorship was intended 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 driving licence, both misdemeanours. She was also hospitalised for undisclosed mental health issues that year.

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