Britney Spears admits to reckless driving in plea deal

The singer must complete a substance abuse program and meet with mental health professionals

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Published May 05, 2026  •  2 minute read

Britney Spears once dominated the pop world, but her private life has spiralled in recent years. Photo by VALERIE MACON /AFP/File

VENTURA, CALIF. — Troubled pop princess Britney Spears on Monday admitted to reckless driving involving alcohol, in a plea deal that means she will avoid jail.

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The “Toxic” singer was arrested in March after police spotted her driving erratically on a freeway in Ventura County, near Los Angeles.

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She was initially charged with DUI — driving under the influence — but under the plea deal confirmed Monday she admitted a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol, drugs or both.

A court in Ventura sentenced the 44-year-old to 12 months’ probation, her lawyer Michael Goldstein said.

“She’s going to do well, and we all root for Britney,” Goldstein told reporters, including AFP, outside the court.

“I don’t think anybody’s happy about pleading guilty to anything, but under the circumstances and to get this behind her, I think everybody is pleased with the result.

“We appreciate the district attorney recognizing the positive steps that Britney has taken to help herself.”

As part of the plea deal, Spears must complete a substance abuse program and meet with mental health professionals.

Prosecutors have given no details on the drug allegedly in her system at the time of arrest and her lawyer declined to comment.

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Judge Matthew Nemerson ordered that Spears must have a valid prescription for any drugs in her possession.

The singer’s representatives told US media after her arrest that she had voluntarily checked in to a rehab facility.

Monday’s hearing is the latest step on a rocky road for a woman who once dominated pop.

Spears had phenomenal early music success in the late 1990s with hits like “…Baby One More Time” but has largely stepped back from music in recent years.

Following a public breakdown in 2007, Spears was placed under the conservatorship of her father Jamie Spears, who controlled her money and her personal life, even as she continued to perform high-profile concerts.

The conservatorship was dissolved by a Los Angeles court in 2021, after a groundswell of public support to “Free Britney.”

In her 2023 memoir “The Woman in Me,” Spears insisted she never did hard drugs and that she did not have a drinking problem, but she admitted that she was taking Adderall, the ADHD medication.

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