Ventura: US Pop star Britney Spears has been arrested in California, Ventura County Sheriff's Office records show.
According to Ghana News Agency, the well-known US gossip site TMZ reported that Spears was arrested for driving under the influence. Arrest records seen by the Press Association confirm that the 44-year-old singer was taken into custody on March 5.
She has been assigned a booking number, and the records identify her gender as female and her race as white. TMZ reported that Spears was arrested at 9:30 pm (0530 GMT) and was detained by the Sheriff's department until approximately 3 am. She was subsequently released from jail around 6 am.
In a previous incident in 2007, the Mississippi-born singer managed to avoid a criminal hit-and-run trial by paying for damages, after being photographed steering her car into another vehicle in a California car park and walking away after evaluating the damage to her own vehicle. Her recent arrest comes on the heels of her selling part of her rights to her back catalogue in February to music publisher Primary Wave for an undisclosed amount.
This sale occurred after the conclusion of Spears' 13-year conservatorship, which was established in 2008 and had control over her career decisions and finances, but ended in 2021. After regaining control of her career, Spears collaborated with Elton John in 2022, and later teamed up with Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am on a track titled 'Mind Your Business' in 2023.
Throughout her career, Spears has achieved six UK number one singles and eight UK top 10 albums. She has also worked with notable artists such as Madonna, Iggy Azalea, and Backstreet Boys. In 2024, Spears announced that she would 'never return to the music industry' and shut down any speculation regarding a new album in an Instagram post.
In addition to her music achievements, Spears released her memoir, 'The Woman In Me,' in 2023, which is reportedly being adapted into a film. She has won one Grammy for best dance recording for her song Toxic and has received seven additional Grammy nominations along with four Brit Awards nominations.