Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - BRITNEY SPEARS REHAB LOCKDOWN

Episode Date: April 16, 2026

Britney Spears checked herself  into an out-of-state treatment facility following a DUI arrest in California. This after encouragement from her sons,Sean Preston and Jayden James.  Spears was taken into custody, handcuffed, booked and released. This is what's typically known as "cite and release"  Instead of being remainin in detention, the individual receives a written notice to appear in court on a specified date. Britney's date is  May 4, 2026.  The 44-year-old singer entered the facility, with reports suggesting she may stay beyond the typical 30 days.  She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol, after police received reports of erratic driving.  Police say a substance found in the car was sent in for toxicology.  Joining Nancy Grace today: Philip Dubé -  Former Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law, Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy Max Miner -  President and CEO of Executive Treatment Solutions (ETS), a specialized pretrial mitigation and treatment support service, helping individuals in crisis avoid jail time through personalized treatment plans, legal collaboration and proactive court advocacy, website: ExecTreatmentSolutions.com Kat Schollenberger  -  U.S. Head of Live New at Daily.Mail.com, website: DailyMail.com  Rob Shuter - Host: Naughty But Nice Podcast, Author of Newly-released Novel, “It Started With A Whisper," and Former Publicist to the Stars (including Sean “Diddy” Combs); IG: @naughtygossip Dave Mack - Investigative Reporter, 'Crime Stories' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Britney Spears rehab lockdown nightmare. I'm Nancy Grace. This is crime stories. I want to thank you for being with us. She's got to now forget about publicity and forget about her public image and forget about her fans and focus on herself.

It has to go and speak professional help. This can be turned around. If you go out and have a drink or something like that, for the news that I say, oh, my God, she went she had a drink. Oh, what are we going to do? Oh, my gosh. It's like, you know, like what's the big deal? I don't see like a glass of wine or something like I'm coming out, stumbling out of the club. A precursor, a harbinger of sorts.

Brittany Spears tonight in rehab lockdown nightmare. She's going through her worst dream, reportedly of all alcohol. cigarettes, drugs, the works. That from our friends at Entertainment Tonight, let's see that one more time. If you go out and have a drink or something like that, for the news that I say, oh my God, she went she had a drink. Oh, what are we going to do? Oh my gosh. It's like, you know, like what's the big deal? I don't see like a glass of wine or da-da-da-da. It's not like I'm coming out, stumbling out of the club. From our friends at Entertainment Tonight, before I go out to Kat Schallenberger, joining us from DLML, first to Max Minor, President, CEO, of executive treatment solutions.

It's a pretrial mitigation specialty boutique offering, helping individuals in crisis avoid jail time. Now, Max, in my world of prosecuting HV habitual violators, which means somebody has been DUI driving into the influence of drugs or alcohol. So many times they finally wrecked and killed somebody, an HIV, a vehicular homicide. But people like you offer a very important service. A, people like Britney Spears are convinced if they go into rehab, they can avoid jail time.

And very often, it works because the goal so often my goal was, unless there was a dead body, if I just had a defendant with a lot of DUIs, be they drugs or alcohol, I want them to get well before they kill somebody. That said, once you've got a dead body, it's a whole another animal. Then they have to go to jail and for a long time. There are countless celebrities that have used your services, Max Minor. But I hate that it's because they're between a rock and a hard spot. They can either go to rehab or they can go to jail.

What's happening with Britney Spears right now in rehab? Well, that's nice so much for having me. And this is a question that we are faced with all the time. And really what it comes down to is that, you know, extreme control without structured treatment isn't a long-term solution, right? And right now, she's trying to figure out how she's going to navigate this treatment process. And the reality is that it's going to come down to whether or not she's held accountable to do so with our clients, right, the process that we have with our clients, you know,

we're all about accountability because without taking accountability, you're actually never going to get better. So right now, she's probably trying to figure out how she's going to navigate this next 30, 60, 90 days, whatever she's looking at. And, you know, the people around her are probably trying to make it as comfortable as possible. But what it comes down to is, you know, she's got to be held accountable. Put them up, please. You mean, when you say as comfortable as possible, maybe something like the last Beverly Hills Lux facility, $60,000 a month. Now, she says, quote, it was hell, like in my very own horror movie,

in so many ways it broke my spirit. Now, I'm referring to the 60 grand a month rehab facility in Beverly Hills. That was one of the rehabs. For some reason, these rehabs are not working for Britney Spears. Hold on. Max Minor joining us, CEO executive treatment solutions, specializing in convincing people, and he's right, it's either jail or rehab. You pick. Straight out now to Kat Schoenberger, joining us, head of live news at dailymail.com. Cat, thank you for being with us. What's

happening? According to reports, it's Britney Spears lockdown nightmare. She's going through the worst of it right now, according to reports. What's happened? What's happening? Yeah, so as we know Nancy, Brittany was arrested for a DUI charge on March 4th out in Vintiforna. At the time, her reps called her actions completely inexcusable. And reports surfaced that she had voluntarily checked herself into rehab. But what sources are telling us is that she actually dug her heels in about going to rehab. And that her sons, Sean Preston and Jane James, had to stage an intervention in order to get their mother to go to rehab. They called the situation a complete non-negotiable and in order to maintain a

relationship with her that she would have to go. Her kids are the most important thing in the world to her. They are the only ones that she listens to. So in order to make them happy, she did agree to check herself into rehab. And reports are saying she may be there for 30 days. She could be there for longer, but it was most certainly incentivized by her children. You know, this is something I don't quite understand. Max Minor joining us, a CEO of Executive Treatment Solutions, who basically says, it's us or jail? You decide. There have been many, many celebs that go to rehab and somehow wiggle out of going to jail. Sometimes it costs them their lives. For instance, Matthew Perry. You know who Matthew Perry met in his fancy rehab? He met the ketamine queen.

that supplied him, the ketamine, that killed him. He's not the only one that chose rehab over jail. Look at all these celebs that go to very expensive rehabs. There you have Chris Brown. Doesn't seem like it helped him very much. Oh, there's Drew Barrymore. She's a success story, as far as we can tell. There's John Stamos, success.

Lindsay Lohan, success. She's happily married with a child. Oh, Mel Gibson, that's a toughie. Who knows? That's a flip of a coin. And there you have Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps. Seems like it worked. Oh, Nick Reiner did not work. He's sitting behind bars on double murder.

Paris Hilton? Apparently, it works. She's happily married with children. And, of course, a success story? Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. There are so many. Oh, yes, we can't forget Tiger Woods. Didn't work.

did not repeat, did not work. Even after Max Minor, he nearly this close to having his leg amputated. That's bad enough for anybody, but a professional athlete that has to walk a golf course for a living to have your leg amputated, that did not scare him straight, Max. So what is going to be different this time reports Britney Spears tonight in the middle of her worst nightmare? Now, if she thought a $60,000 a month Beverly Hills facility was a horror chamber, what does she want? And why, why hasn't it worked so far? Well, you know, we deal with all these luxury rehabs day in and day out. And make no mistake, there's some really quality programs out there that have some incredible clinical teams.

But, you know, Nancy, I agree with you. And what it comes back to time and time again is the accountability measures that are going to be put in place for her. And the reason she's calling it a nightmare, let's just call for what it is, is because she's unable to operate the way that she wants to operate. But however, if this is going to actually work, it's going to require a lot more than 30, 60, 90 days. I mean, for my own personal experience, you know, I spent a year inside a structured environment. And that's what we recommend of all of our clients. So it's obviously not for everybody, but, you know, for her, she's, it is a nightmare because she's having to come to terms with these things that she's been running from from a very long time. Joining us now, straight from New York, Rob Sheeter, host of naughty but nice podcast and author of a new hit novel release.

It's called It Started with a Whisper. And it is climbing the charts of Amazon. It's turned into a bestseller. And I know why. Rob Sheeter, you claim it's fiction. I disagree. I have reason to believe you base it on real-life characters. And I'm pretty sure I've identified some of them, which we will discuss off-camera. So if I can identify them, who else can identify them? Lucky for you. Many of them are public figures, and they can't sue you. Plus, the truth is a complete defense. I want you to focus on that in your new book. It started with a whisper. Just keep saying, the truth is a complete. defense. The truth is a complete defense. Like Dorothy. You know, it worked for her, but of course, that was fiction. Rob Shooter, tonight, Britney Spears reportedly in rehab locked down. She is not free to leave as she has left other rehab centers at whim and claims she thinks she's in her worst

nightmare. That's not the type of PR she needs right now. Now, I did not like her in the conservatorship. she didn't like it I didn't like it for her she's a grown woman everybody is sucking on her paychecks like ticks like parasites and they had control

of all her money while she's working every night in a Vegas show it just wasn't right now she's out from under that and this happens so what now yeah I don't know

what's going to happen next but what I do know is how we got here her sons are back in her life and these are the only two individuals that I think Brittany will listen to. Many people throughout the years have tried to advise Britney to go to rehab to get some help. She's ignored them all, including just two weeks ago when she was arrested for a DUI. Her sons are back in her life. They are young men. They want to get their mom some help. And so the PR spin that Britney's people put out is that Brittany decided to get

into rehab. What my sources are telling me is the sons have made it very, very clear to Brittany, that if she wants them in her life, if she wants them to be around, then she's got to get some help. So even though she is there on her own choice, I think it's really about her son's here. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Rob Sheeter, why do you say voluntary? Because I just showed you a string of celebrities when they're between a rock and a heart spot. It's either rehab or jazz. And Britney Spears, let me see.

I was trying to count all the rehabs. Look, I want her to succeed. I want her side until we have a dead body. Then everything flips. There's been the Beverly Hills rehab for $60,000 a month that she said was a horror chamber. There was Cedar Sinai. Remember that time she was involuntarily placed in treatment.

And after that, her dad took over as a conservator. there has been crossroads. There was crossroads center in Antigua. Then there was, of course, promises at Malibu. I mean, what's not to love? You sit around in a circle. You talk about your problems. You have gourmet, healthy food.

You're by the ocean. You go on walks. You do yoga. You just can't drink. So none of those have worked. Right now, in addition to managing to escape jail time, she may be at habitual violator status. How many times has she actually been convicted,

not just pulled over, accused, but convicted of DUI? That matters. You can't just be pulled over or suspected. You have to actually be convicted of multiple DUIs, typically four, to become an HV habitual violator. Then it's a felony. It's no longer a DUI misdemeanor. But at this juncture, you keep saying voluntary, voluntary.

Isn't it because her sons gave her an ultimatum, either you go or we're out of your life? Yeah, you're absolutely right, Nancy. I'm using the word voluntary as an example of a word that her people are using. Brittany's team keep saying voluntary. They're doing that for a couple of reasons. One, they don't want us to connect that this could potentially help her in her court case, which is coming up in a few weeks. And two, they do not want more rumors out there that Britney needs more serious.

help that she's had mental health issues again. So they keep using the word voluntary. I am parroting it. But the information that I'm giving you is that this is about her sons. Her sons have basically told her it's us or it is the booze. It is the pills. You can't have both. If you want us in your life, then you have to get clean. They've also too made it very clear that they do not want to be her conservator. They want her to get help, but they saw what their grandfather went through for 13 years. He looked after Brittany, and they do not want that responsibility. They do not want that burden. They want their mom to get help. Making her sons, her conservators, that's giving the Fox, the keys to the henhouse. I mean, all that money? No, no, no, no, no. That can't be.

So Rob Sheeter, you do know that reportedly Madonna has already arranged a comeback appearance for Britney Spears. Isn't that too much too soon? It is too much too soon. Madonna has a new album coming out in June. She's not sold music for many years. What Madonna is really good at is connecting herself, tagging herself to somebody who is relevant. I think she's doing a duet with Sabrina Carpenter. She already worked with Brittany several years ago, so they do have a relationship.

Madonna, too, is one of the celebrities that attended Brittany's wedding. And so they do know And so they do know each of... Just go ahead and get it out of your system. They had a big, fat, wet kiss on the lips. And were photographed.

It broke the internet before Kim Kardashian's Rear-in broke the internet. It was a moment. It was a moment. And Madonna would love to recreate. It was certainly something. I want to believe that Madonna's doing this because she wants to help Brittany. However, in the process, she's also helping Madonna.

Once again, she has a new album out in a couple of months, and the sales are a little bit soft on it. So Madonna is looking to make publicity, make noise, and Britney certainly does that. You're harsh, Rob Shooter. How dare you question Madonna's motives to suggest she has a commercial interest? Okay, so already a comeback appearance? Okay, Max Minor, did you hear what Rob Shooter Let me say it again for Rob Sheeter, author of a brand new book, Sheeting up the charts on Amazon. It started with a whisper. It's awesome.

That said, a comeback concert, a comeback appearance now? She's struggling in rehab from what we're being told tonight. It's her worst nightmare. Yeah, huge mistake. Huge mistake. You go ahead and you put that pressure on her too early too soon, and the wheels will continue to come off. more so than they have. And again, this is where, you know, we got to get based in reality,

right? It's proven. There are statistics on this that in order to actually, you know, initiate some form of change, minimum we're talking about 90 days and what the, the concert set for June. I mean, you're just setting her up for success. See, that's where her people need to step in and actually, you know, again, we're talking about accountability. We're talking about structure, these key words that we keep talking about. However, I'm still not seeing it. It doesn't seem it's there yet. Max Minor, we know she's got a court date. Isn't this right? Kat Schoenberger, joining us head of live news, Dailymail.com. Kat, isn't the court date May 4? Do I have that right? That's correct. It's May 4th. And what's going to happen? Well, Nancy, a DUI is a serious

charge with a serious consequence. You know, this is not Brittany's first run in with the law. When we talk about context, you know, Brittany has been under intense public scrutiny for the a better part of 20 years. She's been very open about her battle with mental health and substance abuse and she detailed it at great length in her memoir, the woman and me. At one point she said she was going to rehab up to four times a day. So we can only hope that at this point with her children involved,

that this is the turning point that she needs to really get help, really get her life back on track and really become healthy again. Yeah, her fans are rallying around her, her children are involved, those closest to her are in full, support, and so we can only hope for the best. You know, I'm curious why they're coming out of the woodwork now. That said, I'm just glad they're trying to help. I don't know what that means that she went to rehab four times a day.

Sounds like maybe Alcoholics Anonymous four times a day. So Rob Sheeter, you're looking at this from a completely different angle. You're looking at it from a PR angle. But I was thinking when Max Minor joining us from Executive Treatment Solutions stating it's too much pressure, it's hard enough for most people to go to work every day and put in a full day. They're exhausted at the end of the day. But entertainers are different. Remember Michael Jackson, possibly one of the greatest entertainers of all time?

he could not punch a clock to save his neck. He could not show up every day under any circumstances. He just couldn't do it. Of course, he's child molester. That said, he was still one of the greatest talents that ever lived. But imagine Brittany being forced to go to her Vegas residency every single night. And then she couldn't even drive on her own. After she's making money for all of her family,

they're like living off her like ticks. I'm sure she was angry and didn't want to go to work. That pressure was unbearable. Now this, pressure to continue to perform. That's a lot. It is a lot. She spoke about this in her book and her memoir, and she talked about exactly how angry,

that's the word Nancy. She was doing all those shows in there. She felt like a circus animal. She was pushed out there to do the shows, and then she claims her family took all her money. However, Brittany has also claimed that she's happiest when she's on stage. When Brittany does shows, it gives her a structure.

This is somebody from a very early age who learned how to do this. We see her in her own private time in these videos performing. She is a performer. And so I would argue that there might actually be a benefit to this. Maybe not doing eight shows a week, but doing a couple of shows each week. It gives us something to do. It gives us something to focus on.

And she loves it. She loves it. Shooter, you're a PR guru. All joking aside, you're the author of a bestseller book. It started with a whisper. But I don't think you're a licensed psychologist, much less a psychiatrist, which has a medical degree. Are you? Did you somehow pick that up over in London before you landed here?

I am not Nazi you are correct no okay so I do know that you're familiar with let's just go with battered woman syndrome in other words

you're used to something it's bad for you but you continue to stay in it because you don't know about another life you say she's happiest when she's entertaining she has been sexualized and entertaining

since she was a little child, she's been entertaining since she was a Disney kid. Remember? She was, you know, on camera with Disney when she was, you know, under 12 years old. She was a star, immediate star. Then after she left Disney, not while she was at Disney,

she became sexualized. This is her life. This is all she knows. So even if it's bad for her, she may want to go back to it, like batter women. They go back to the batterer because they don't know anything.

else. And if they do leave that batterer, they seek out another one because that is what they are used to. That is what they're familiar with. So it's okay with them until it gets unbearable again. It's a very interesting theory, Nancy. I take your point, but I also note just my own personal self here, not speaking as a therapist, which I'm not. Work can give an enormous amount of joy. Work can give you a structure to your life on days that my life feel. out of control, I often jump into work. And I think that Britney Spears might benefit from doing the same. She knows how to do this. We've seen her dancing, performing at home in front of the camera. She clearly misses it because she's doing this in her private life. So why not do it on stage?

Why not go back to Vegas? Why not do something that she loves? Dr. Sheeter, it seems to me like maybe you do have your PhD in psychology or psychiatry, because you're right. She seems happier when she's working, and it gives her a reason to live outside of her children. So, again, you're looking at it from a different vantage point than I am. PR-wise, she needs to not put it out there, that rehab is a nightmare. It's a horror chamber. What should she be doing? She should be doing the work. She should be recovering. She should figure out a way to find happiness within herself.

I think after she leaves the rehab, she needs a structure in her life. I'm already hearing from my sources that they might move out of L.A. completely. They might go back to Louisiana, which is where she's from. She's visited there a lot of times. And she's even spent time there with her sister. and family members. She needs a new life. She needs to find happiness. Hey, shooter. I've got two real life examples for you as to why that's a good idea. You know, I love Jessica Fletcher, aka Angela Lansbury. I love her.

She told me, lover, she told me personally, as a surprise, I think it was my birthday, my husband, we flew to D.C. I didn't know why we were going. and we got there and it was to see her on stage in Blythe spirit. She was amazing. Even in her age, in the 80s,

she outshown everybody else on the stage. She was phenomenal. And I got to meet her in person and watching her for years. And she amazingly knew about the twins and she told me that she took her children out of L.A. They went back to Ireland.

I think she told me. to get them away from the drug and alcohol influence in L.A. Wow. You got it to do it. She was a great mom. And here is my other. I told you two. That's one.

Here's a second one. When I lived in L.A. during Dancing with the Stars, took my children to the playground. Lucy was three. My little baby was three. She came off the playground playing with the other L.A. Toddlers.

And she said, I want to paint my nails and get my ears pierced. And I want your lipstick, mom. We moved home like that. No, no. So your point is well taken. Now, Rob Scheter, last question, do you? How many times do you want me to say, it started with a whisper,

climbing the charts on Amazon bestseller, first released novel of Rob Shooter. Is that, two more times? You're the best. It started with a whisper. It started with a whisper. Thank you, Rob Scheter. P.R. growing us tonight. Now, let's talk about the law. Kat Schellenberger, Daily Mail. You did confirm

May 4 is the court date? Yes, that's correct. It's interesting that we all know the court date, but nobody seems to be able to definitively say, where is Britney Spears tonight? We've got a few front runners for her Lux rehab, but still can't nail it down. I'm with you. I'm with you. Straight out now to veteran trial lawyer, Randy Kessler, joining us out of the Atlanta jurisdiction. He is a veteran trial lawyer. He was the chairman of the ABA. That's the American Bar Association, family law section. That ain't easy. I'd rather try a serial killer than get in between a domestic. They will shoot the lawyer. Absolutely. Take a shot at you. All throughout, divorce, protect yourself, your kids, your future. Randy Kessler.

We heard earlier that DUI is a serious crime. It's actually a misdemeanor. It's a misdemeanor where the max you're going to get is 12 months or less. And by her voluntarily going to a rehab, many judges will take that in lieu of jail time. We do know she was handcuffed, booked, released, rather than being put in long-term detention. but this is a charge of sight and release. What is that? Right.

They see her and they release her. I mean, it's as straightforward as it can be. She's not going to be able to hide from anyone. They're not worried about her being an escape or flight risk. Everybody knows who she is. She would be found in a second. Look, money solves some problems. And the goal of our system is not to punish it, to rehabilitate,

until it gets to a point, like you said, when there's a dead body. We want her to get back into society. We want to help her. And fortunately, for her, she's got resources, she's got money, and she uses that money for the right reasons, like going to rehab, like taking ownership of her issues, even if it's a little bit after the fact, or a lot after the fact, it's better than sticking her in jail

and hoping that she learns a lesson that way. Rehab is a better place for her. Sign release, lets her focus on her life, and she's doing the right thing. You can say it's for the wrong reason. You can say it's for her kids. You can say it's so she doesn't lose her job. It doesn't matter.

She's doing it, right? If we get people to do the right thing, even for the wrong reason, it's still a good thing, right? Well, we all agree that rehab is a good thing. It's very hard for me to take in. You were the chair of the ABA Family Law section, and your analysis is it's a good thing. Can we talk about what's going to happen on May 4? Okay, May 4, she's going to court. What's going to happen?

Well, she's going to be in front of the judge. She's going to have to decide whether to plead guilty or not guilty. And of course, she's going to plead not guilty. And they're going to try to work out a plea arrangement. And may happen before then, right? You've been there. If you were the prosecutor and I was the defense lawyer, we'd be talking as much as we could. Everyone wants to avoid this.

Unless you have a prosecutor who just wants to be in front of the press, which doesn't seem to be the case. Most prosecutors are very good people and they want to do the right thing. This is a case where defense will have a lot of money. They can throw a lot of resources at it. So the prosecution has a lot to lose. And defense has a lot to lose. It's not just going to jail.

It's not just punishment. It's her whole public image. If she ever wants to make a comeback, if she wants to do this tour with Madonna, this needs to go away, it needs to be out of the public eye. It needs not to be on your show. She needs to try to make it go away. If there's any possibility of it going away before May 4th, they're exploring it. But if it doesn't go away May 4th, they'll be scheduling orders.

They'll be telling everybody when it's going to go to trial or what the next steps will be. This is not the trial. This is the initial appearance. The offense, the alleged DUI, was March for 2026. Here is Britney Spears on Insta, April 10, about one month later, 2026. How is this helping her? How is this helping her case, Randy Kessler? You can take it down now, control room, as much as you want to continue playing it.

How is that helping her? I mean, unless the judge is a super fan, it's not helping her case. But it does show that the rehab is appropriate, right, that she's now taking ownership. So whether she had an issue, whether she's got a problem with alcohol, whether she's got a problem with, you know, thinking about what's appropriate or what's not. It's now what she did then. It's what's she doing since then. Do we put her in jail to try to fix her and try to punish her?

Or do we let her try to get healed on her own dime, on her own nickel in rehab? Max Minor joining a CEO executive treatment solutions for well-heeled clients like celebrities, like executives that can choose a fancy rehab versus jail. We just heard Kessler pose a question. I faced it many, many times, except again, when I had an HV, an HV habitual violator, typically someone was dead. Or the HV had had, sometimes I remember, 136 DUIs before. finally prosecuted him on a felony. That said, do you believe people can dry out rehab in jail?

It definitely serves a purpose. I know it did for myself. The reality is that it does serve a purpose. And, you know, with that being said, though, everyone knows it's a, well, it's not a big secret. L.A. County jail, you can get whatever you want, you know, from alcohol to drugs to needles. I mean, literally, everything's on the table. So I believe it serves a purpose to stabilize individuals. I believe it serves a short-term purpose. But in reality, long-term, when we're talking long-term rehabilitation, actual change, that needs to take place outside of the confines of LA County Jail or a county jail or a

prison. Max Minor, I think, and of course, I'm not an expert like you are, but I think it's not just getting dried out and going for a period of time. without alcohol because that demon, alcoholism, it's an illness. It really is like a monkey on your back and you have to fight it every single day. It's hard. It's very hard. When I have gone to find witnesses or see if a defendant is you really going to AA,

there's a line wrapped around the building waiting for AA to start. People go, as you were hearing, Kat Schoenberger describing up to four times a day, just to stay sober. It's really hard. So in jail, you get dried out because you can't get alcohol. But there are other issues at play, emotional issues, physical issues, mental issues that are not solved in jail. Correct. Correct. And the reality is that they're not going to be solved in a place like that.

because in order for the rehabilitation process to begin, you have to be in a rehabilitative environment. And county jail, prison, you're in survival mode. And that's not to say that people can't make great strides in their own recovery because people do it. There's success stories. But the reality is for the average individual, as you state of Nancy, you know, it's hard enough just to get through the day, just to go to work, just to provide for your family. Now, you throw untreated alcoholism or substance abuse on top of all that, and it gets really stressful really quick. So I agree with you.

You have to be an environment where you can start to address these issues and really figure out what those hearts about you are that need to change. Max, how did you get well? Well, I spent six months inside L.A. County Jail while we were figuring my case out. And then I spent over a year in a long-term, highly structured, highly structured treatment environment. And this was more behavioral modification. It wasn't exactly, you know, focused on the clinical. But it's exactly what I needed, Nancy.

I needed to be, you know, I needed to have the mirror shoved in my face. And I needed to be, you know, told the truth about myself. And if it wasn't for that experience, if it wasn't for getting arrested, I am 100% positive. I would not be here today. So I'm grateful for that opportunity. You know, Max, just think about the opportunity that Britney Spears has right now. What she can mean to other people that are battling alcoholism or drug addiction.

She could become the face of recovery and inspire so many people. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Also joining me in addition to our all-star panel, is a colleague, a friend, a longtime friend of mine. Crime Stories investigative reporter. Dave Mac is joining you. Dave, you have your own perspective about what's happening with Brittany. I do, Nancy.

I've watched Brittany over the years, and we have seen her behavior spiral at different times. On a totally personal level, I see what Brittany is up against Nancy, and what you're saying is so accurate. I'm so glad you're saying this. It's way different to stop using alcohol or drugs versus living a sober life, getting your life back on track. And when you stop drinking but don't grow,

you don't have any support. It's called being on a dry drunk. And that's where we have to get. Brittany has to get over that hump and actually get into a recovery program that will help her get to the bottom of what's going on and she can find a whole new life. It's out there. There are great examples. And Nancy, you hit the nail on the head. Bless her heart, she could change lives if she will grasp sobriety and follow up,

you know, hit meetings and do what she has to do to live a sober life. Doing a concert in June is nothing. Doing a concert 10 years from now. Okay. So Dave, how did you get well? I ended up like many people, Nancy. I ended up in jail. And I sat there for a couple of days and realized that my drinking had my decisions. My best decisions landed me in jail. And when I got out of jail finally, I said, you know what? That's it.

And so I actually went to the phone book, Nancy, and looked up AA, Alcoholics Anonymous. I can tell you I was there. Can't tell you anyone else was there. But that's what I got. And this is many, many years ago before a lot of programs. I am a huge fan of long-term programs. As you know, that is what I do in my private life. I help others find sobriety.

And I always push for the long-term. You don't correct a lifetime problem in 28 days. That's what insurance pays for. There are programs that are much longer that really do get you the solid footing you need. And for me, A.A. worked. It was phenomenal. I actually learned so much about myself. And it's, you know, 35 years later, I just, you know, I thank you for allowing me to share that. But without jail and without A.A., Nancy, I wouldn't be here. Dave, Mack, our friend and our chief investigative reporter for crime stories. And Dave, you and I've been together for how many years? Well over 10. Oh, 15? Yeah, 15.

Yeah. At least. At least. Now joining me is a veteran trial lawyer out of this jurisdiction, Philip Dubay, L.A. County Public Defender. Again, I can't say it enough. Veteran trial lawyer. Dubet.

Will the judge bring down the hammer? Will the judge make Britney Spears go to jail? How does it work? How do you leave rehab and go to jail and what go back to rehab? How do they know you don't stop at a bar on the way? How do we know the driver? I've heard of a lot of celebrities that tell their driver, famous celebrities, you'd be very surprised. They would tell their driver, don't pick me up without a fifth. So a lot can happen on the way to that court date and on the way back to rehab. So will the judge bring down the hammer? Will the judge put Britain? Spears in handcuffs again and send her to jail when she shows up to court on May 4. Revoke her bond. The general rule is that if you walk into court, you'll walk out of court. As long as she makes her court dates, she follows all the court orders. She will be fined.

It is a near first-time misdemeanor DUI that has a cap of six months in custody, California. And the fact that she is in rehab and is probably, going to have an escort by the program to court, tells the court that she is actually taking the charges very seriously. So it is highly, highly unlikely that she will be remanded. When you say highly unlikely she will be remanded, you mean sent to jail. Now, right now behind the scenes, I'm sure Britney Spears has some pretty high-priced lawyers. This is what I think is going to happen. When you don't know a horse, do they, look at the track record. could you put up the graph, the screen of Britney Spears, known prior driving infractions?

If you will notice, Philip DuBay, she does not have any previous DUI conviction. Everything that has happened, I guarantee you, and I bet Max Minor and Dave Matt will agree, she was under the influence of something. 2007, 2019, 22, 23, now 26. And there are other occasions where she was not pulled over. I mean, we saw her driving erratically after drinking a liquid at a bar, toasting the crowd as she left. She was enabled, somebody basically poured her into her car and she hit the road. That said, she's never had a DUI conviction before because some really good lawyers

kept her out of it. I'm sure that has a lot to do with it, but let's assume she did have a prior. California has a 10-year washout period, meaning that 10 years after conviction, it's not that it is removed from your record, but it is no longer priorable, meaning it cannot be considered as a prior conviction. There are exceptions if there's a homicide involved while under the influence behind the wheel. But I can tell you now that just based on those mere infractions, that she had on her record for an unsafe lane or lane change or speeding,

the court's not even going to look at that stuff. The court's going to look at actual criminal convictions. Kate Schillenberger joining us, head of live news at dailymail.com. Kate, what do we expect to happen on May 4? And I guess she'll come out of rehab for the day. I hope not drive to the courthouse and then return. What's going to happen in court?

The judge could revoke her bond. and send her to jail on that day. Yes, that's correct. She's going to appear in front of the judge. As one of the other panelists mentions potentially plead not guilty and ultimately take accountability or then go return to rehab and take accountability for her actions. You know, looking at her previous history of, you know, all the things that she's been through with mental health challenges, you know, arrests, her record, substance abuse, and everything.

thing. We really hope and her fans hope that this is the turning point for her, you know, especially now that her children are involved. They're the only ones that she really listens to and they were so loving and so kind towards her, but also firm. And like I said, this was an absolute non-negotiable for them. They said that she needed to get help and they told her they wouldn't take no for an answer. And she didn't fight them. But she did drag her feet and she will do this for them. And they said, mom, you need to go if you want us to come back around. And that was all the incentive that she needed. She wants to maintain a relationship with them, which would have ultimately been jeopardized

if she didn't go. So I think she will, you know, act according to the law and, you know, return back to rehab and pay her due diligence just so she can stay in her children's lives. We've gleaned a lot of that from her memoir, too. That's all that she really talked about in her memoir that her children are the most important thing to her. So she will take the steps that she would back, healthy, happy, and hopefully. hopefully get her life back on track.

Back to Dave Mack, joining us, Crime Stories Investigative Reporter. Isn't it true that reports surfaced that on the last DUI incident, there were drugs in the car? There were, Nancy. You know, we have not been told exactly what they are yet,

but it has been widely reported that Brittany has, she likes Adderall as her primary DOC, her drug of choice. And that's what probably was in the vehicle, but we don't know. It could have been any number of things, and that will have a lot to do with what happens in court as well. How does that change the equation? Max Minor. He is the CEO of executive treatment solutions. So, I mean, you know, speaking to what's going to happen

on May 4th is that she will have a letter from the facility, what's called an enrollment letter. She will present it. Her team will present it. And again, we're not talking about anything of, of great amounts here in terms of the Adderall. The reality is, is that, you know, she has an opportunity here to kind of make this go away. I mean, let's just call it for what it is. This is all can be very easily made, just, you know, slip into the background. All she has to do is go through the process. Now, you know, where I get so passionate, what we do with our clients is that we require more.

And it's going to be very interesting to see, you know, what she decides to do, whether she decides to just do this and go through the motions or actually take this seriously and take this opportunity to change. But really, the Adderall, you know, I can't imagine it being a large amount. It really is not going to, it's not going to change anything. De Bebe, what do you think is going to happen in court very quickly? I think all that's going to happen is they're going to interruptly of not guilty and put the matter over for a pretrial and see if they can resolve the case with a settlement of probation. No jail time. We wait. As justice unfolds, that court date may 4th.

And now we remember an American hero, Officer Jason Campbell, Greenville, PD, North Carolina, killed in the line of duty after 10 years on the force. He leaves behind a wife, now widow, Chantel, and two children, Ashley and Zachary, without a dad. American hero, Officer Jason Campbell. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. This is a good. an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.