Los Angeles Times
 
 
 
 
 

Britney Spears rejects driving misdemeanor plea; trial set for next week

The singer is accused of driving without a license in a traffic incident last summer.
By Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
3:27 PM PDT, October 8, 2008
Britney Spears will go on trial for driving without a license next week rather than accept a plea deal her lawyer says is too harsh, the attorney said today.

Spears rejected an agreement proposed by the Los Angeles city attorney's office, in which she would have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, paid a $150 fine and served 12 months' probation, said lawyer J. Michael Flanagan. He suggested Spears was receiving tougher treatment than non-celebrity defendants.

"It should be an infraction. It's kind of mind-boggling that they want to convict her of a misdemeanor," Flanagan said.

City attorney's office spokesman Frank Mateljan said, "We're proceeding with this case like we would any other."

The charge stems from an August 2007 incident in which Spears struck a parked car and then left the scene.

Flanagan said Spears had a valid license from Louisiana, her home state, at the time and subsequently got a California license.

Her trial is set for Oct. 15.

harriet.ryan@latimes.com




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