Britney Spears released from hospital: report

By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Britney Spears was released on Wednesday from the Los Angeles hospital where she had been undergoing a mental evaluation since last week, published reports said.

Spears, 26, slipped out of UCLA Medical Center escorted by a private security detail and was believed headed home before seeking additional treatment, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site.

A hospital spokesman declined to comment to Reuters, citing patient confidentiality laws. A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, which escorted Spears when she entered the facility, said they were not involved in her departure.

The move comes one day after court papers were made public containing accusations by the Grammy-winning pop star's mother, Lynne Spears, that her self-styled manager, Sam Lutfi, had drugged her in a bid to take control of her life.

Spears' father, Jamie Spears, and attorney Andrew Wallete have been granted temporary control of her assets, including her house, pending further legal proceedings.

A Los Angeles judge has appointed a psychiatrist to determine if Spears is capable of understanding the legal proceedings around her.

The same judge issued a restraining order against Lutfi and put on hold the bitter custody battle between the entertainer and her ex-husband, Kevin Federline.

Spears, a chart-topping singer and former child star, has seen her personal life descend into turmoil since she filed for divorce from Federline in 2006, while in recent months Lutfi has become an almost constant presence in her life.

The Louisiana native was hospitalized in early January for a mental evaluation after becoming badly agitated when Federline's representatives tried to retrieve the children. She left the hospital after a brief period and returned home.

On Thursday last week, Spears went to UCLA Medical Center for this most recent round of psychiatric evaluation.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)