Two months after her Thousand Oaks arrest, Britney Spears pleaded guilty to reckless driving involving alcohol or drugs in Ventura County Superior Court.
On May 4, Spears accepted a plea agreement with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office, reducing her charge from driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs to reckless driving involving alcohol or drugs.
The 44-year-old Westlake Village resident was not present in court for her arraignment but represented by attorney Michael Goldstein.
Joey Buttitta, spokesperson for the DA’s office, said it is standard practice to offer a “wet reckless” to defendants with no prior DUI history, with a low blood alcohol level or with no crash or injury.
In this case, Senior Deputy District Attorney Andrew Sullivant told Commissioner Matthew Nemerson that the DA’s office requested to amend the criminal complaint due to Spears’ participation in substance abuse and mental health treatment. The original charge will be dismissed.The pop star will spend one year on probation, during which she is required to participate in a three-month alcohol education program and pay a $571 fine, the commissioner said.
Spears was arrested just before 9 p.m. March 4 on Highway 101 on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officers said they pulled her over after she was driving her BMW 430i erratically at a high rate of speed southbound on the 101 near Borchard Road exit in Thousand Oaks. Spears was booked into Ventura County jail and released around 3 a.m. on March 5, jail records show.
In a March 6 statement to USA TODAY, Spears’ spokesperson said the arrest was an “unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable.”
“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,” the statement says.
Spears’ arrest came five years after her conservatorship, overseen by father Jamie Spears, was terminated by a California judge in November 2021. The singer, who was 39 at the time of the ruling, was placed under the legal arrangement at age 26 in 2008 after suffering a public breakdown the year prior that played out before the paparazzi, who captured her seemingly erratic behavior.
Previous USA TODAY reporting contributed to this story.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Spears accepts plea deal in Thousand Oaks arrest. Here’s what it means
Reporting by Makena Huey, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
