After taking a plea deal for drunk driving, Justin Timberlake admitted his mistake.
According to the ‘New York Post’, Timberlake was sentenced to 25 to 40 hours of community service on Friday when he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge – driving under the influence, a non-criminal charge, in a drunk driving case in the Hamptons.
The 43-year-old spoke outside the Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on Friday morning after Judge Carl Irace asked him to do so.
“Many of you have followed me throughout my life, and as you know, I try to hold myself to a very high standard. And, this is not the case. This is not the case,” he began.
“I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision. But I’ve had time to think about it, and I also understand that all of you here have a platform, I have a platform, we share that platform,” the former NSYNC singer added.
“So what I want to say to everyone watching and listening right now, even if you’ve had one drink, don’t drive. There are so many alternatives — call a friend, take an Uber, there are so many travel apps,” Timberlake continued. “But take a cab. This is a mistake I made, but I hope anyone watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake.”
“I certainly do,” he concluded.
“I could have made a different decision… even if you’ve had one drink, don’t drive… this is a mistake that I made” — Justin Timberlake photo.twitter.com/488QhRQMUF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 13, 2024
The 43-year-old was initially charged with drunken driving, but he pleaded not guilty after police said he ran a stop sign and drifted out of his lane in Sag Harbor on June 18, according to ‘NBC 4.’
Court records show he was driving a 2025 BMW around 12:30 a.m. when he was stopped by a police officer who said he was drunk.
“His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, his breath smelled strongly of alcohol, he was unable to concentrate, spoke slowly, walked unsteadily, and performed poorly on all standardized road sobriety tests,” court filings state about the 10-time Grammy winner.
Sag Harbor Police Department via Getty Images
Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke Jr., insisted the “SexyBack” singer was not drunk when he was stopped by police.
On July 26, Burke told reporters that “Justin should not have been arrested for drunk driving. The police made some very serious mistakes in this case.”
Timberlake, who is married to actress Jessica Biel and is the father of two, also agreed to pay a minimal fine.
Original article published on Enstarz.
Tags Justin Timberlake, Arrest