Lawyers for musician Britney Spears are expected to appear in a California courtroom on Monday to respond to a charge that the pop superstar.
The pop superstar was driving recklessly and was arrested and charged for Driving Under the influence of drugs (DUI) and alcohol.
Spears, 44, was charged with one misdemeanor after authorities responded to a report in March of a black BMW traveling erratically at high speed in Ventura County, California.
Officers located the vehicle and arrested Spears after observing signs of impairment, the California Highway Patrol said at the time.
It is unclear if Spears would attend the Monday arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court.
The charge is a misdemeanor, her lawyers can enter a plea on her behalf.
A legal filing said Spears unlawfully drove under the influence of a combination of alcohol and at least one drug.
It did not specify which substances authorities believe she used.
Spears would be offered the chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol or drugs, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
This is a common resolution for someone who has no prior DUI history, did not crash and has shown a willingness to undergo treatment, the office said.
It typically carries a sentence of 12 months on probation.
A representative for the singer said in April that Spears had voluntarily checked into a rehabilitation facility after the DUI arrest.
Media reports said Spears had completed her in-person treatment a week ago and returned home, where she would continue counseling remotely.
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 and argued that Spears did not need supervision.
Her family said Spears suffered from mental illness and the conservatorship was meant to protect her and her 60 million estate dollars.
In 2007, Spears was charged with one count of hit-and-run causing property damage and one count of driving without a valid California driver’s license, both misdemeanors.
She also was hospitalised for undisclosed mental health issues that year. (Reuters/NAN)
