CALIFORNIA — The Ventura County District Attorney's Office on Thursday filed a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs against Britney Spears stemming from her March 4 arrest on a southern California highway. Her arraignment is scheduled for Monday, May 4.

The California Highway Patrol pulled over Spears on U.S. 101 near her home after reports she was driving her black BMW fast and erratically, according to the agency. Authorities said Spears appeared impaired and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs and taken to a Ventura County jail. She was released on bail the following day.

Police completed their investigation and presented it to prosecutors on March 23. The criminal complaint does not specify the type or amount of alcohol or drugs Spears is accused of using.

A misdemeanor DUI charge typically carries no jail time when there is no crash or injury and the defendant has no history of similar offenses, according to the district attorney's office. Prosecutors generally offer defendants in comparable cases the option to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol or drugs in exchange for 12 months of probation, a required DUI class, and payment of fines and fees, the office said.

Spears checked herself into a rehabilitation treatment facility after the arrest. Her representatives said in a statement: "The incident is completely inexcusable." Her representative also said, "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." Her representative added, "Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time."

In 2008, Spears was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship that was dissolved in 2021. The conservatorship had governed her personal and financial affairs for more than a decade before a Los Angeles judge terminated it.