LOS ANGELES, May 1 -- Pop star Britney Spears on Thursday was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, prosecutors outside Los Angeles said - but she could avoid jail time with a plea deal.

The criminal complaint does not specify which substance the 44-year-old singer was allegedly using when she was arrested in early March.

Spears is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in a courtroom in Ventura County, which borders Los Angeles County.

She is not required to attend the hearing because the charge is a misdemeanor, and can be represented by her attorney, prosecutors said in a statement.

Spears had phenomenal early music success in the late 1990s with hits like Baby One More Time but has largely stepped back from m...