‘I could’ve made a different decision’: Timberlake speaks after pleading guilty

(CNN) — Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired in a deal with Suffolk County, New York prosecutors on Friday in connection with an incident from earlier this year.

Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace sentenced Timberlake to 25 hours of community service and ordered the pop star to issue a public safety announcement. He will also pay a fine of $500 and have his driver’s license suspended in New York State for 90 days starting Friday.

The sentencing was agreed upon by the defense and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office after Judge Irace expressed disappointment in the proposed plea deal because “it was lacking retribution,” calling the initial deal “surprisingly favorable” to Timberlake.

The judge imposed community service which can be done with a non-profit of Timberlake’s choosing and must be completed within one year.

When the judge asked Timberlake if he was willing to accept these conditions, he replied, “I would be honored to.”

Timberlake entered the courthouse shortly after 11am wearing a black shirt, brown pants, and a pearl-like necklace surrounded by security and his lawyer.

After the proceedings, the pop star made a statement outside the courthouse saying, “I try to hold myself to a very high standard of myself. And this was not that. 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,” he continued, later adding, “What I’d like to say to everyone watching and listening, even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There are so many alternatives – call a friend, take an Uber, there are many travel apps, 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.”

At his last court hearing in August, Timberlake had pleaded not guilty to a count of driving while intoxicated charge, a misdemeanor. Had he been convicted; he could have faced a maximum of one year in prison and a $2500 fine.

In New York, a blood alcohol content of more than .05 “is legal evidence that you are impaired,” while “a BAC of .08 or higher is evidence of intoxication,” according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor in June after police said he left the bar at The American Hotel shortly after midnight, drove down Main Street in his 2025 BMW and failed to stop at a stop sign and stay in his lane. Police also said Timberlake failed a field sobriety test and refused a breathalyzer test several times, saying “No, I’m not doing a chemical test.”

Timberlake’s attorney Ed Burke said outside court on Friday that his client had one drink in two hours.

“Contrary to what was reported, he wasn’t drinking other people’s drinks or warned in advance not to drive. He wasn’t rude, he wasn’t obnoxious, he wasn’t belligerent,” Burke said before Timberlake issued his PSA. “He was polite, he was cooperative and he was respectful during his entire encounter with law enforcement as they were to him.”

Timberlake has been performing over the summer with his Forget Tomorrow Tour. He is next scheduled to perform in New Jersey on September 28.

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