Britney Spears reportedly fired her sober coaches just weeks before she was pulled over and arrested for allegedly driving under the influence in California.
Spears also dismissed several other members of her staff, including key members of her security, sources told TMZ. The firings came shortly after she returned from a trip to Los Cabos, Mexico, and around the same time she sold the rights to her music catalogue to publisher Primary Wave for approximately US$200mil.
Spears was arrested Wednesday night just before 9.30pm and booked into the Ventura County Jail in the early hours of Thursday morning. She was eventually released and she is scheduled to make an appearance on May 4 at the Ventura County Superior Court.
According to a press release from the California Highway Patrol, a black BMW was reported “for driving erratically at a high rate of speed” on Wednesday around 8.48pm. Authorities stopped the vehicle, which had been travelling southbound on US-101 in Newbury Park, near the Westlake Boulevard exit not far from Spears’ home in Thousand Oaks.
Spears was alone inside the car at the time and she allegedly showed signs of impairment. An unknown substance, which will be tested, was also found in the vehicle, sources told TMZ.
After a series of sobriety tests, the 44-year-old singer was detained and promptly taken to a hospital so authorities could determine her blood-alcohol content, CHP said.
An investigation into the matter is ongoing.
“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” a statement from a Spears representative 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. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.” - New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
