A woman accused of taking rocker Huey Lewis' rental car and laptop outside a hotel in California has pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of stolen property.

The Huey Lewis & The News frontman, who lives in Montana, had left the engine running on his vehicle on 21 February (13) as he obtained a receipt from staff at the Holiday Inn Express in Mill Valley, where he had been staying during a short visit.

However, the 2012 Toyota Corolla was missing when he came back out and he reported the theft to police.

California Highway Patrol officers subsequently tracked down the car and arrested Katherine Bowyer Gallagher over the incident.

She confessed to stealing the car and claimed to have sold Lewis' laptop and other belongings that had been left in the vehicle.

The 31-year-old suspect reached a plea deal with prosecutors last month (Mar13) and she has now pleaded guilty to felony possession of stolen property, in exchange for a count of vehicle theft being dismissed.

She agreed to serve 50 days behind bars as punishment, although she is expected to be granted time served when she is formally sentenced on 15 May (13), according to local publication the Marin Independent Journal.