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LOS ANGELES (AP) \u2014 Britney Spears was charged in California on Thursday with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, authorities said.<\/p>\n
The 44-year-old pop star was charged with a single misdemeanor count of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, the Ventura County District Attorney\u2019s Office said.<\/p>\n
A Spears representative had no immediate comment.<\/p>\n
The criminal complaint does not specify what kind of alcohol or drugs, or what amount, Spears is accused of having used.<\/p>\n
Spears, who has since entered substance abuse treatment, was arrested March 4 after she was pulled over for driving her black BMW fast and erratically on U.S. 101 near her home, the California Highway Patrol said. She appeared to be impaired, took a series of field sobriety tests, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs and was taken to a Ventura County jail, the CHP said.<\/p>\n
She was released on bail the following day. Police completed their investigation and presented it to prosecutors on March 23.<\/p>\n
A representative at the time called Spears\u2019 actions \u201ccompletely inexcusable\u201d and said it would ideally be \u201cthe first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spears voluntarily checked into a substance abuse treatment facility just over a month after the arrest, her representative said.<\/p>\n
Spears\u2019 arraignment is set for Monday. Because it is a misdemeanor charge, she will not be required to appear in court, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said the case will be handled according to their standard protocol for defendants with no DUI history, no crash or injury on the road and a low blood-alcohol level.<\/p>\n
In court on Monday, Spears will be offered what is commonly known as a \u201cwet reckless,\u201d allowing a defendant to plead guilty and get a year of probation, credit for any time served in jail, a required DUI class and state-mandated fines and fees, prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
The offer is common especially for defendants who have independently shown motivation to address their problems and seek treatment, the district attorney\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n
The singer has a home in Ventura County just outside the Los Angeles County line. Her arraignment will be held in the city of Ventura, a seaside community of about 110,000 people about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of downtown LA.<\/p>\n
The onetime teen pop phenomenon and \u201cMickey Mouse Club\u201d alum became a defining superstar of the 1990s and 2000s with hits like \u201cToxic,\u201d \u201cGimme More\u201d and \u201cI’m a Slave 4 U.\u201d Most of Spears’ albums have been certified platinum, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, with two diamond titles: 1999\u2019s \u201c \u2026 Baby One More Time\u201d and 2000’s \u201cOops! \u2026 I Did It Again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spears became a tabloid focus in the early 2000s, and a source of public scrutiny, as she battled mental illness and paparazzi documented the details of her private life.<\/p>\n
In 2008, Spears was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship, run primarily by her father and his lawyers, that would control her personal and financial decisions for well over a decade. It was dissolved in 2021.<\/p>\n
Since then, she has married and divorced, and released a bestselling, tell-all memoir, \u201cThe Woman in Me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She has essentially been retired as an artist in recent years, releasing only a few collaborative singles since her last full album in 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n