Friday, February 8, 2008

BRITNEY GOT OUT AND WAS CHASED


Late yesterday afternoon Britney was released from the UCLA hospital psychiatric ward after a hospital hearing which determined that the stay was not justified. Both her parents and a psychiatrist at the hospital were advocating that she stay for the remainder of her 14 day hold, but they were overruled by a court representative, who interviewed everyone and recommended that she be released. People reports that this is standard procedure in this type of case.

So Britney got out, the paparazzi were thick on her tail and she was driving very erratically, changing lanes dangerously while the paparazzi followed her. (There was a video of the ensuing car chase on TMZ, but it is no longer available.) She did was she’s accustomed to doing, she went to a hotel. She arrived at the Beverly Hills Hotel around 3:30 in the afternoon. TMZ reports that the cops were there shortly afterward to try and disperse the hoard of paparazzi, and according to other accounts they remained at the hotel. Adnan arrived at about 4:40, according to OK! Magazine.

Then Adnan snuck Britney out of the hotel and they arrived at the office of Britney’s new lawyer, Adam Streisand around 5:20. At 7:00, Britney was somehow secreted out of the building under a blanket by one of Adnan’s paparazzo friends and she returned to the Beverly Hills Hotel. The police were still at the hotel at that time.

Britney’s father showed up at around 9:00 and he was seen talking to the hotel staff. About 20 minutes later, according to OK!’s timeline, more police came while Adnan and Britney remained up in her room.

At 9:30, Britney’s father entered her room with paperwork in his hand and the police still standing around. There were guards standing around her car, and that’s where OK!’s story ends. It’s a cliffhanger.

TMZ maybe provides some closure for Britney’s eventful day by saying that Britney’s father, Jamie, who is currently the conservator of her estate, will likely be in court today to make specific requests about his daughter. Since he has legal control over her estate, finances and all contracts she signs, he can say that she’s not authorized to stay in a hotel and has the authority to restrict her visitors.

Britney’s parents have released a statement conveying their disappointment in this whole situation, saying that she was released against their wishes and the wishes of the attending physician in the hospital:

“As parents of an adult child in the throws of a mental health crisis, we were extremely disappointed this morning to learn that over the recommendation of her treating psychiatrist, our daughter Britney was released from the hospital that could best care for her and keep her safe. We are deeply concerned about our daughter’s safety and vulnerability and we believe her life is presently at risk. There are conservatorship orders in place created to protect our daughter that are being blatantly disregarded. We ask only that the court’s orders be enforced so that a tragedy may be averted.”