Britney Spears Pleads Guilty to Reckless Driving in DUI Case

Britney Spears has sidestepped any jail time after pleading guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of wet reckless through her attorney.

The pop star, who did not appear in court for her arraignment in Ventura County on Monday, was previously charged with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence on April 30. The resolution came two months after Spears was arrested and voluntarily checked herself into a treatment facility

“She’s doing well,” her lawyer, Michael A. Goldstein, tells Rolling Stone. “It was reduced. The DUI was dismissed. She entered a plea to reckless driving.”

Spears received a sentence of 12 months of summary probation. The judge ordered the singer to submit to any searches requested of her vehicle, but not her home. He said she can’t use or possess any drugs without a valid prescription, and he ordered Spears to continue meeting with a psychologist once a week and a psychiatrist once a month. She also has to complete a DUI class.

Spears was pulled over and arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in March. Ventura County DA Erik Nasarenko previously announced she was eligible for her plea deal, which is typically offered to people with low blood levels of intoxicants where there was no crash or injury. 

Police officers pulled her over after receiving reports of a BMW “driving erratically at a high rate of speed,” a California Highway Patrol spokesperson previously told Rolling Stone. Officers said Spears “showed signs of impairment and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests,” after which she was arrested, booked, and released a few hours later.

“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” her manager said in a statement at the time. “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. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”