Justin Timberlake has pleaded guilty to driving while impaired in his Hamptons drunk driving case, a lesser offense than his initial charge of driving while intoxicated.
The 43-year-old pop star arrived at the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on Friday morning to a throng of media cameras and reporters that descended on the small beach town for his hearing. As part of his plea deal, Timberlake also agreed to pay a fine, commit to 25-40 hours of community service — which was not initially part of the plea agreement, but was included upon Judge Carl Irace’s insistence — and make a public statement on the dangers of drinking and driving, NBC News reported.
Timberlake had previously pleaded not guilty to his original charge of driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor that carried up to one year in jail and a maximum fine of $1,000. Driving while intoxicated is classified as having blood alcohol content of .08 or higher, while the BAC for driving while impaired, a traffic violation, is more than .05, according to New York state law.
Timberlake was arrested just after midnight on June 18 after he drove through a stop sign and veered out of his driving lane, according to the criminal complaint. The police officer who stopped Timberlake wrote in the complaint that the singer claimed to have had one martini, but there were tell-tale signs that he was not sober: His eyes were “bloodshot and glassy,” his breath smelled strongly like alcohol, his speech was slow and his balance was off. Timberlake also “performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” the officer wrote, adding that the “Cry Me a River” singer declined a breath test.
A judge suspended Timberlake’s license in August, citing his refusal to take a breathalyzer test when he was pulled over. The judge also reprimanded Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke Jr., for telling reporters that Sag Harbor Police had made “very significant errors” in the case and that he expected charges to be dismissed.
Timberlake has not publicly addressed his Hamptons arrest. Days after he was arrested, he told a crowd at his Chicago concert that he was having “a tough week.”
“I know sometimes I’m hard to love, but you keep on loving me, and I love you right back,” he told his fans.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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