Britney Spears pleads guilty to reckless driving charge in DUI case

Britney Spears pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of reckless driving in the driving under the influence case against her, sparing the 44-year-old from any jail time.

The pop star, who had been accused of driving while under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, did not appear in court in Ventura county. Because she faced a misdemeanor, she was not required to attend proceedings.

The Ventura county district attorney Erik Nasarenko confirmed she made the plea through her lawyer, taking responsibility at the “earliest stage”, and has agreed to continue to undergo treatment.

Police arrested Spears on 4 March after stopping her on US 101 in southern California for allegedly driving her BMW fast and erratically. The California highway patrol said she appeared to be impaired and was arrested and transported to county jail after taking a series of field sobriety tests.

The next day the singer was released on bail. She voluntarily entered a substance abuse treatment program in the month after the arrest.

Spears’s representative described her actions “completely inexcusable” and said it would ideally be “the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life”.

The Ventura county district attorney’s office had said ahead of the hearing that Spears would be able to plead guilty to the lesser charge, a common offer for first time offenders who are willing to undergo treatment.

Spears, who was at the forefront of pop music for nearly two decades, previously spent nearly 14 years under a conservatorship. The legal arrangement, which a judge terminated in 2021, required her to pay attorneys to manage her life and did not allow her to make decisions about her personal affairs, career or finances.

She released singles in 2022 and 2023 with Elton John and will.i.am, but has since said she will not return to the music industry and has made few public appearances.

The Associated Press contributed