Charges Dropped Against Britney Spears in Case Fought on Principle
Deputy Los Angeles Attorney Michael Amerian is apparently no fan of pop singer Britney Spears, nor does he like special treatment for celebrities in trouble with the law.
Yet Amerian has decided to drop charges against Spears for driving without a California license after jurors failed to reach a verdict in the case, the Los Angeles Times reports. He told reporters he still thinks she is guilty, though.
“It just goes to show, I think, how difficult it is to convict any celebrity of a crime here in Los Angeles,” he said.
Ten jurors supported acquittal and two wanted to convict, the Times story says. Spears was charged with driving without a California license after she struck a parked car in 2007. She has a Louisiana license and her lawyers claimed her real home was in that state.
The case became a matter of principle for both sides, according to the story. Most cases of driving without a license end with a guilty plea to a misdemeanor or with a decision to drop charges after the defendant obtains a license.
Spears’ lawyer, Michael Flanagan, has complained the prosecution was tougher in Spears’ case, the story says. Amerian had offered Spears a plea bargain that called for 12 months of probation and a $150 fine, or no probation and a $1,000 fine. Flanagan rejected the plea, saying his client would not buy her way out of probation.
Reporters asked Amerian at the end of his news conference if the case would make it harder for him to listen to Spears’ music. “You mean harder than it was before?” he said, but then he apologized for the comment.
