American Pop star, Justin Timberlake, pleaded guilty Friday to a reduced charge in his drunk driving case in Sag Harbor, N.Y., and was ordered to pay a $500 fine and perform community service.
The 43-year-old was arrested on 18 June in Sag Harbor, approximately 100 miles east of New York City, after police observed his BMW running a stop sign and swerving between lanes.
In August, Timberlake pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated during a virtual court appearance before a judge, who ordered the suspension of his driver’s licence in New York state, US media reported.
However, Sag Harbor Village Justice Court justice Carl Irace later handed Timberlake a community service sentence and ordered the star to make a public statement after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while alcohol-impaired, The New York Post reported.
The officer who pulled over the “Cry Me a River” singer said Timberlake was in no fit state to drive.
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, his speech was slow, he was unsteady on his feet, and he performed poorly on all standardised field sobriety tests,” the police report stated.
“I did not live up to the standards that I try to hold for myself. I should’ve had better judgment… I understand the seriousness of this,” Timberlake told the judge.
Timberlake’s license had already been suspended. The judge also sentenced Timberlake to 25-40 hours of community service at a non-profit, and ordered him to make a “public safety announcement.”
Timberlake fulfilled that obligation by making a brief statement to the press corps outside the courthouse after the hearing.
“Even if you had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car,” he said. “There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend, take an Uber. There’s many travel apps. Take a taxi. This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever’s watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.”
Timberlake entered the village courthouse surrounded by local police, who had to run a gauntlet of photographers and reporters.
The singer, 43, was arrested in June after police stopped him for weaving out of his lane and failing to obey a stop sign.
The arresting officer reported that his eyes were “bloodshot” and “glassy,” and that he performed poorly on a field sobriety test. Timberlake told the officer he had one martini and was following his friends home, and refused to take a Breathalyzer test.
Timberlake’s attorney, Ed Burke, had denied that his client was drunk at a previous hearing.
“The most important fact to know about this case is that Justin was not intoxicated and should not have been arrested for DWI,” he said at the time.
A DWI charge is typically imposed for a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, while a DWAI charge equates to a BAC of .05-.07. Prosecutors have said it is not unusual to plead down the misdemeanor to a violation on a first offense, and have denied that Timberlake received any special treatment.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
