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Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to impaired driving in New York

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Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Justin Timberlake speaks to the press after a court hearing, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Sag Harbor, N.Y. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

SAG HARBOR, N.Y. ā€“ Justin Timberlake urged drivers not to get behind the wheel of a car after even a single alcoholic drink on Friday, shortly after pleading guilty to driving while impaired in New Yorkā€™s Hamptons earlier this year.

The public safety announcement in front of the Sag Harbor police department was part of the plea deal that knocked down the misdemeanor charge heā€™d faced to a non-criminal traffic violation. The boy band singer-turned-solo star and actor was also sentenced to a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge, 25 hours of community service at the nonprofit of his choosing and a 90-day suspension of his license.

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ā€œI try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself, and this was not that,ā€ Timberlake told the news media and other onlookers after the hearing in the adjacent Sag Harbor Village Court.

ā€œEven if youā€™ve had one drink, donā€™t get behind the wheel of a car,ā€ he said. ā€œThereā€™s so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. Thereā€™s many travel apps. Still, take a taxi. This is a mistake that I made, but I'm hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.ā€

The NSYNC star made similar comments during the court hearing and said he grew up in a small town and appreciated the kind of strain his arrest has made on a community like Sag Harbor.

The one-time whaling village, which is mentioned in Herman Melvilleā€™s classic novel ā€œMoby-Dick,ā€ is nestled amid the Hamptons, an area of seaside communities around 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.

Timberlake was arrested there a little after midnight on June 18 after police said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol.

Police said the 43-year-old Tennessee native told the officer he had had one martini and was following some friends home. He originally pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated.

Timberlake told the court heā€™s had a lot of time to reflect on his actions and was ā€œgrateful for the opportunity to move forwardā€ and use his platform to hopefully help others make ā€œbetter decisions.ā€œ

ā€œI should have had better judgment,ā€ he said to the judge. ā€œI understand the seriousness of this.ā€

Judge Carl Irace said he did not oppose reducing the charge Timberlake faced since he was a first time offender and thanked him for speaking sincerely and ā€œfrom the heart.ā€ But he questioned the appropriateness of the proposed sentence, dismissing the public announcement Timberlake intended to make shortly after the court proceedings as ā€œunsatisfactory.ā€

Irace said imposing an additional requirement of community service would give the singer more time to reflect on his actions.

ā€œMy experience is that these conditions can prove helpful and even gratifying for the accused,ā€ he said.

Prosecutor Patrick Oā€™Connell told the judge they had weighed recommending community service, but thought a statement from Timberlake would be a more valuable public service because of its potential to influence a younger generation worldwide.

He also said Timberlakeā€™s remarks would hopefully show that ā€œno one is above the law,ā€ not even the wealthy and famous.

ā€œMr. Timberlake received the same treatment as any other defendant,ā€ Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney added in a statement after the hearing. ā€œJustice should be applied equally to all individuals, regardless of their wealth or celebrity status.ā€

Among those in the courtroom Friday was a local mother whose 12-year-old son was killed by a drunk driver in 2018.

Alisa McMorris, who now runs a foundation in her son Andrewā€™s memory, said she hoped Timberlakeā€™s remarks would help bring more awareness to the dangers of driving under the influence.

ā€œJustin has such a huge platform to the next generation. People listen to him,ā€ she said alongside her daughter after the singer had departed. ā€œFive words I tell the kids when I go to the high schools is ā€˜How are we getting home?ā€™ and he spoke about that. Make a plan. I donā€™t want another sister or a family to have to go through what we did.ā€

Edward Burke Jr., Timberlakeā€™s attorney, maintained outside the court after Fridayā€™s hearing that his client only had one drink in two hours at the American Hotel before his arrest.

ā€œContrary to what was reported, he wasnā€™t drinking other peoplesā€™ drinks, or warned in advance not to drive,ā€ said Burke, adding that the lesser charge Timberlake pleaded to is ā€œconsistent with these facts.ā€

At one point in the hearing, Timberlake promised Judge Irace he wouldnā€™t ā€œgo backā€ to driving after having a drink again. The judge, who had otherwise been serious in tone, playfully interjected: "But come back to Sag Harbor! Itā€™s a great place.ā€

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Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.


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