Justin Timberlake reportedly reaches plea deal in DWI case ahead of Hamptons hearing
Justin Timberlake is nearing a resolution in his driving while intoxicated case, months after he was arrested in the Hamptons in June.
The “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and “Mirrors” pop star is expected to enter a plea during a Friday hearing where he is set to appear in-person at New York’s Sag Harbour Court, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to The Times. The singer, 43, agreed to plead guilty to a less serious offense than his original driving while intoxicated charge, the Associated Press reported.
Timberlake’s attorney Edward Burke Jr. did not comment to The Times.
The 10-time Grammy Award winner was arraigned June 18 in Sag Harbor Village Justice Court, on the eastern end of Long Island. The musician allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and struggled to stay in his lane while driving, the Sag Harbor Police Department said. He pleaded not guilty.
Police described Timberlake during the arrest as having “bloodshot and glassy” eyes with a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage” on his breath, according to court papers obtained by The Times. Police said the singer also had slowed speech and performed poorly on sobriety tests.
Timberlake, amid his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, was released on his own recognizance.
A month after his arrest, lawyer Burke denied his client was intoxicated when he was stopped and alleged there were errors with officials’ arrest documents. In response, a spokesperson for the district attorney told AP, “We stand ready to litigate the underlying facts of this case in court, rather than in the press.”
Days after his arrest, the former NSYNC frontman got candid with fans at a Chicago concert, telling them “it’s been a tough week.”
“Nothing can change this moment right now,” the singer said in June. “I know sometimes I’m hard to love, but you keep on loving me and I love you right back. Thank you so much.”
Timberlake continues his Forget Tomorrow Tour later this month with a stop at New Jersey’s Prudential Center. He is slated to play shows in Toronto, Detroit, Orlando, Florida, and Atlanta, among other cities, before the end of the year.
