Timberlake, 43, appeared in court Friday in Sag Harbor and agreed to plead guilty to driving while ability impaired (DWAI), a lesser traffic violation. The DWI charge against him was dropped.
Timberlake was expected to make his public safety announcement live outside of court Friday. We will carry that live on CBS News New York.
The judge was not happy with the terms of the plea, which requires Timberlake to make that public safety announcement, and face a fine, CBS News New York’s Carolyn Gusoff reported. The judge said that penalty was minimal, and asked Timberlake if he would also accept community service, which Timberlake agreed to. Timberlake has a year to work out the community service portion of his deal, Gusoff reported.
Camera crews surrounded Timberlake as he entered court Friday morning.
Timberlake was stopped in the Hamptons village on June 18 after it was reported that he ran a stop sign and did not stay on the correct side of the road.
The arresting officer claimed in court documents that he smelled alcohol on Timberlake’s breath, saw bloodshot eyes, said the pop star “performed poorly” on field sobriety tests, and refused to take a breathalyzer test. It was reported that Timberlake told the police that he had had one martini earlier in the evening.
After being detained, Timberlake was accused of driving under the influence. He was arraigned later that morning and released on his own recognizance.
On August 2, Timberlake entered a not guilty plea during a virtual court appearance. As is customary in the state for DWI cases, a Sag Harbor village justice suspended his driver’s license during the hearing. At the time, Timberlake was on his world tour and was in Germany.
On September 28, Timberlake’s tour will make its next stop at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Then, on October 7, he will perform at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center before making a return visit to the Prudential Center on October 8.
