Justin Timberlake takes plea deal after June arrest, urges others not to drink and drive
UPDATE: Justin Timberlake is speaking out after accepting a plea deal on Sept. 13.
In his first statement since being arrested and accused of driving while intoxicated in June, Timberlake said he has learned from his mistakes and urged others to as well.
“I try to hold myself to a very high standard. … And this was not that,” Timberlake told reporters, according to Entertainment Tonight. “I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision. I’ve had some time to reflect on that.”
Timberlake then shared a message to everyone, urging people to never drink and drive, even if you had one drink. “There are so many alternatives.”
The singer pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, a traffic violation, CBS News reported. He was initially charged with and pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, The Associated Press reported.
He must pay a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and complete 25 hours of community service, CBS News reported.
The original story is below.
Nearly three months after being arrested, Justin Timberlake has agreed to a plea deal, prosecutors told news outlets.
On June 18, Timberlake was arrested during a traffic stop while driving through Sag Harbor, New York, police told news outlets.
At the time of the arrest, the officer said Timberlake’s “eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” according to The Associated Press.
Now, The New York Times is reporting that he is “expected to plead guilty to a lesser offense.”
A spokesperson for the Suffolk County district attorney’s office told NBC News that he will enter the plea in person on Sept. 13. What Timberlake is expected to plead guilty to has not been made public.
In a statement shared shared with Deadline in June, Timberlake’s attorney Edward Burke Jr. said, “I look forward to vigorously defending Mr. Timberlake on these allegations. I will have a lot to say at the appropriate time but am currently awaiting full discovery from the District Attorney’s office.”
Burke Jr.’s statement comes after the arrest report obtained by People revealed that Timberlake reportedly told police, “I had one martini and I followed my friends home,” during the traffic stop.
According to the outlet, police said Timberlake drove a 2025 BMW through a stop sign and failed “to keep on the right side of the roadway.”
This story was originally published September 11, 2024 at 6:08 PM.