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Topics: Britney Spears, Celebrity, US News, Crime
Rhianna Benson
Topics: Britney Spears, Celebrity, US News, Crime
The agent representing Britney Spears has issued a statement following her arrest in California earlier this week.
The 'Toxic' singer was taken into custody by the state's Highway Patrol officers on Wednesday evening (4 Mar), after allegedly driving under the influence.
According to information provided by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, Spears, 44, was handcuffed at around 9.28pm local time.
She was subsequently booked at 3.02am and released three hours later.
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DUIs can refer to either drugs or alcohol, and offenders can be sentenced to up to six months in jail.
Her arrest comes after several years of concern from fans over the Grammy-winning star's wellbeing.
Spears - who disabled her Instagram account earlier this week - had previously been apprehended by police in 2007 after allegedly hitting a parked car in Los Angeles, for which she was charged with four misdemeanours and received a short jail sentence.
Thankfully for the star, however, these charges were later dropped.
Following her latest arrest, the 'Circus' singer's agent has since provided press with an official statement on her arrest, acknowledging that the mother-of-two is in need of 'long overdue change'.
"This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable," her representatives began.
"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."
The statement then went on to reference Spears' two sons, Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19.
The pair remain predominantly estranged from their mother, and live with their father, former back-up dancer Kevin Federline, in Hawaii.
"Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well-being," Spears' agent added.
Following her first arrest in 2007, Spears lost custody of her two sons.
The next year, a judge deemed the musician no longer in a fit state to make important decisions surrounding her stability and placed her under a highly controversial conservatorship.
This landed Spears' father, Jamie, the power to make all decisions regarding her career, finances and personal life.
After the #FreeBritney campaign kick-started in the years that followed, the legal arrangement came to an end in November 2021.
In her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, Spears later claimed the conservatorship 'stripped me of my womanhood [and] made me into a child'.
Despite the legal arrangement coming to an end five years ago, fans have grown increasingly concerned over Spears' wellbeing recently due to the 'erratic' videos she uploads to social media.
Following this week's arrest, she has been scheduled to appear in court on 4 May, as per Sky News.