Britney Spears Arrested for DUI in Ventura County

Britney Spears was arrested in Ventura County, California, on Wednesday night for driving under the influence. The arrest occurred around 9:30 p.m. Local time, according to the California Highway Patrol, and she was booked into jail around 3 a.m. On Thursday before being released approximately three hours later.

Details of the Arrest

Spears, 44, was taken into custody by the California Highway Patrol and booked at the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Fox Baltimore and Los Angeles Magazine both reported her release around 6 a.m. On Thursday. The singer subsequently deactivated her Instagram profile following the arrest.

Previous Legal Issues and Recent Events

This is not Spears’ first encounter with the legal system. In 2007, she faced misdemeanor charges related to an alleged hit-and-run incident in Los Angeles. Those charges were ultimately dropped after she paid for the damages to the vehicle involved.

The arrest comes shortly after Spears was granted a permanent restraining order against a 51-year-old man from Louisiana who had been harassing her since 2013. The man was previously arrested for trespassing at her Los Angeles home in 2025 after making “disturbing posts” on social media, according to court filings.

Financial and Career Developments

In late 2025, Spears sold her music catalog in a reported $200 million deal to Primary Wave, an independent music publisher. This sale occurred after the end of her 13-year conservatorship, which she described as “abusive” in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me.

Spears announced in January that she would “never perform in the US again,” citing “extremely sensitive reasons,” but left the door open for potential performances in the UK and Australia. Her last studio album was 2016’s Glory.

Ongoing Investigation

As of March 5, 2026, the details surrounding the DUI arrest, including Spears’ blood alcohol content and whether any other substances were involved, remain unclear. Fox 5 Atlanta reports that Spears is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.