Britney Spears arrested on suspicion of DUI

LOS ANGELES (Reuters): Singer Britney Spears was arrested Wednesday night in Ventura County, California, ​on suspicion of driving under the influence, the California Highway ‌Patrol has confirmed to Reuters.

The CHP’s Ventura Communications Center received a report around 8:48 p.m. on Wednesday of a black BMW traveling erratically at a high rate of ​speed. Officers located the vehicle a short time later and ​initiated a traffic stop.

CHP said that Spears, the sole occupant ⁠of the vehicle, “showed signs of impairment” due to the influence of a ​combination of alcohol and drugs. It added she underwent a series of ​field sobriety tests.

Spears was booked into the Ventura County Main Jail late Wednesday.

A representative for Spears did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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.

Spears regained control ‌of her ⁠personal life and her money in 2021 when a judge ended a 13-year conservatorship that became a cause celebre for fans and critics of an arrangement typically meant to protect the elderly.

The “Piece of Me” singer had ​begged the court ​for months to ⁠terminate the conservatorship that governed her personal life and $60 million estate since 2008.

The conservatorship was set up and ​overseen by the singer’s father, Jamie Spears, after she ​had a ⁠public breakdown in 2007 and was hospitalized for undisclosed mental health issues.

Interest in the case was propelled in the past year by documentaries and the #FreeBritney ⁠movement ​of fans who questioned why the singer ​needed such restrictions while she was touring around the world and earning millions of dollars.