Overview
- The California Highway Patrol made dashcam video and patrol audio public in late May, showing the March traffic stop that provoked renewed media attention.
- Footage shows officers stopping Spears after they say they observed dangerous lane changes and asking her to exit the BMW, with an initial refusal before she complied.
- Police reported smelling alcohol at the scene, finding an empty wine glass and unprescribed amphetamine pills inside the vehicle, and placing Spears in custody before a hospital test.
- Breath tests recorded 0.05% and 0.06%, which are below California’s 0.08% legal threshold, but authorities said combined substances and observed behavior supported a citation for reckless driving under the influence.
- The case was processed as a citation-and-release; Spears pleaded guilty to a minor reckless-driving-under-the-influence charge on May 4 and received 12 months of probation, and reporting shows minor discrepancies about the exact March date of the stop.