Britney Spears has been charged with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
The Ventura County District Attorney's Office filed the case on Thursday night (April 30), charging the 44-year-old singer with a single misdemeanor count of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug.
What kind of alcohol or drugs was not specified in the criminal case, nor what amount she is being accused of having used.
"Whether or not Ms Spears will appear at the hearing will be a decision made between her and her attorney," the district attorney's office said.
According to the prosecutor's office, this type of charge does not usually carry any jail time if the accused has no history of similar offences, and did not cause a crash or injury from the incident.
Defendants are often allowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving involving alcohol and/or drugs, which often results in 12 months' probation, possible fines and fees, and the completion of a mandatory DUI class.
Spears finished her rehab treatment last night, in time for her upcoming hearing, which is scheduled for Monday (May 4). A source told Page Six that she is "healthy and happy and feeling very positive and excited to start afresh. Rehab was a great opportunity for her to ground herself.”
She is expected to continue with counseling "remotely.”
Spears was pulled over and detained by the California Highway Patrol at night on March 4. According to police, she was driving her BMW "fast and erratically" on U.S. 101 in Ventura County. After a series of sobriety tests at the scene, she was taken into custody and booked by the sheriff's department on suspicion of driving under the influence. She was released early the next morning.