Ross to accept plea agreement on DUI charges
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Diana Ross
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TUCSON, Arizona (AP) -- There will be no trial for pop diva Diana Ross on drunken driving charges.
During a pretrial hearing in Tucson City Court, Ross' lawyers said she's ready to accept a plea agreement and will change her earlier "not guilty" plea at a hearing scheduled for February 9.
Her trial had been scheduled for this month.
Details of the agreement, including what type of plea Ross may enter or whether any type of sentence might be involved, were not released.
The 59-year-old singer wasn't present at Friday's hearing and she won't be required to appear in person next month. Instead, she's expected to appear "telephonically."
Ross faces three DUI-related charges after being stopped by police on December 30, 2002, after authorities received a report of a car traveling the wrong way on a city street.
Results of breath tests showed Ross had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.20 percent. Arizona's legal limit is 0.08.
The performer, 59, who gained fame as a member of The Supremes singing group, was pulled over by police after someone reported seeing a swerving vehicle.
Ross was cited with three misdemeanors, including driving under the influence, driving with a blood-alcohol level above 0.08 and "extreme DUI"-- driving with a blood-alcohol level above 0.15, according to Ross's spokeswoman Judy Altieri said shortly after the arrest.
The singer had entered a drug and alcohol rehab facility in Malibu, California, in May of 2002 to deal with what her publicist described at the time as "personal issues."
Aside from her singing career, Ross has also enjoyed success as an actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award in 1973 for her work in "Lady Sings the Blues," and won a Golden Globe Award for the same performance.
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