The pop star pleaded guilty to a reduced charge earlier this month and was sentenced to probation
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NEED TO KNOW
- Britney Spears was arrested in March for DUI
- A bottle of unprescribed Adderall was found during the arrest, and Spears admitted to taking medications for mood swings, according to an arrest report
- Spears pleaded guilty to a reduced charge, receiving probation, a fine, and mandatory DUI and mental health programs
Britney Spears spoke “nonsensically” and appeared to have “drastic mood swings” when she was arrested in March for driving under the influence, according to a newly released arrest report and video.
Spears, 44, offered officers a meal at her home after she was pulled over on March 4 in Ventura County, Calif., and insisted that she had only had one mimosa six hours earlier, according to the report, which was obtained by PEOPLE, and the video, obtained by TMZ and The New York Times.
“I could probably drink four bottles of wine and take care of you. I’m an angel,” the singer said, noting that she considered her level of intoxication a “zero” out of 10.
The report said that Spears took two breathalyzer tests and blew .05 and .06, both below the legal limit of. 08% BAC in California. But a drug recognition evaluation determined the star was “under the influence of a CNS stimulant,” a medicine often used to treat depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, controlling actions and narcolepsy, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty
Spears voluntarily sought treatment in April, and took a plea deal in the case earlier this month.
A bottle of Adderall not prescribed to the singer was found in her purse during the arrest, and Spears said she’d taken 200 mg of Lamictal, an anti-epileptic medication used to treat epileptic seizures and delay mood episodes in adults with bipolar disorder. She told officers that she takes the drug for epilepsy and “mood swings,” and Adderall to stay “elevated,” the Times reported.
The report claimed that during the arrest, Spears spoke at times with a British accent, and her mood “changed from confrontational and agitated to flamboyant and compliant.”
“You can come to my house — I’ll make you food or lasagna or whatever you want,” she told officers, according to video obtained by the Times and TMZ. “I have a pool.”
Later, her tune changed toward the officers, and she cried in the back of the patrol car after being handcuffed as she accused them of being “mean to me” and “lying,” per the Times.
Credit: Britney Spears /Instagram
Spears previously said in her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me that Adderall was her “drug of choice" during her partying days in the early 2000s. She wrote that it “made me high, yes, but what I found far more appealing was that it gave me a few hours of feeling less depressed.”
The star has publicly dealt with a number of mental health struggles over the years, and notably spent 13 years in a conservatorship following a 2008 mental health crisis.
Spears pleaded guilty to a wet reckless on May 4, and was sentenced to 12 months summary probation and one day in jail, credited as time served.
She was also fined $571, and must attend a three-month DUI program that includes 30 hours of class time.
Her vehicle is authorized to be searched for drugs and alcohol. In addition, Spears agreed to see a psychologist once a week and a psychiatrist twice a month.
"Through her plea today, Britney has accepted responsibility for her conduct. She has taken significant steps to implement positive change which is clearly reflected in the Ventura County District Attorney’s decision to reduce the charge in this case and dismiss the DUI," Goldstein said in a statement following the arraignment. "Britney appreciates this discretion and is also grateful for the outpouring of support she has received."
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