Justin Timberlake Pleads Guilty to Driving While Impaired Charge
The "Cry Me a River" singer pleaded guilty to a less serious offense to resolve his drunk driving case in New York on Friday, seemingly wrapping up a three-month legal saga.
Appearing in Sag Harbor Village Court, Timberlake, 43, pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, his lawyer Edward Burke Jr. announced at a press conference on Friday. The NSYNC frontman had initially been charged with driving while intoxicated. He will pay a fine and perform community service, including recording a public safety announcement about the dangers of drunk driving.
His lawyer Edward Burke Jr told reporters outside the Sag Harbour courthouse: ‘My client finished the contents of one drink in two hours at the American hotel, and contrary to what was reported he wasn’t drinking other people’s drinks or warned in advance not to drive.
He wasn’t rude, obnoxious, or belligerent. He was polite and respectful during his whole encounter with law enforcement as they were to him.’
Timberlake also took to the microphone and made a statement, which said: ‘Many of you have probably been covering me for a lot of my life and as you may know I try to hold myself to a very high standard.
This was not that. I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision, but I’ve had some time to reflect on that and I also understand I have a platform, you have a platform – we share that platform – so what I would like to say to everyone watching and listening is:
"Even if you've had one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car," Timberlake said at the press conference on Friday. "There's so many alternatives. Call a friend, take an Uber, take a taxi. This is a mistake I made, but I hope whoever's watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I certainly have."
‘I grew up in a small town, so I can appreciate and understand the strain this must’ve been on the people of Sag Harbour, to everyone involved I am very grateful and I thank them.
‘I guess in closing I’d like to say, we can all be more safe out there and I’m going to do my part, I hope that everyone else does their part. Thank you very much.’
According to the Associated Press , in court the 10-time Grammy winner also said how he didn’t live up to his own standards.
Tikberlake was arrested on June 18 in Sag Harbor, according to a news release from the Sag Harbor Police Department. Authorities alleged that Timberlake failed to stop at a stop sign and struggled to remain in his lane of travel.
"Upon investigation it was determined that Mr. Timberlake was operating his vehicle in an intoxicated condition," police said. He was released the following morning and pleaded not guilty to a revised misdemeanor charge of driving drunk.
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