Justin Timberlake expected in New York court to plead guilty in drunken driving case
SAG HARBOR, NY — SAG HARBOR, N.Y. (AP) — Justin Timberlake is expected to plead guilty Friday following his June arrest in the Hamptons on a drunken driving charge.
The boy band singer turned solo artist and actor will appear in court in Sag Harbor Village on Friday to formally enter a new plea, prosecutors said.
Details of the agreement with prosecutors were not disclosed, but a person with knowledge of the deal said Timberlake… agreed to plead guilty to a less serious offense of “ driving with a disabilitya traffic violation that carries a fine of $300 to $500 and a 90-day driving ban.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the deal until it was approved by a judge on Friday.
The pop star had initially pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunk driving and had his driving license revoked during a hearing last month.
The office of Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, who is prosecuting the case, declined to comment ahead of the hearing, as did Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke.
Woodlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, just after midnight on June 18, after he ran a stop sign in the town center, drifted out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol, according to police.
Police also said in court documents that the 43-year-old Tennessee resident’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy,” that he was “speaking slowly,” that he was unsteady on his feet and that he performed poorly on all alcohol tests.
Timberlake told the officer he had had one martini and that he was following some friends home, police said.
Sag Harbor is a former whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick” and is located in the Hamptons, an area of coastal communities about 100 miles east of New York City.
Timberlake’s license suspension in New York will likely affect his driving privileges in other states, a legal expert said this week.
Refusing a breathalyzer test, as Timberlake did during his arrest, automatically results in a suspension of one’s driver’s license under New York state law, which must then be enforced in other states, said Kenneth Gober, a managing partner at the law firm Lee, Gober & Reyna from Austin, Texas.
“Most states participate in the interstate Driver’s License Compact, an agreement to share information about license suspensions and traffic violations,” he explained in an email. “If a driver’s license is suspended in one state, it should be suspended in all states.”
In practice, however, it can take a long time for such changes to be implemented across state lines, Gober acknowledged. The pop star also has the means to easily arrange for a driver and doesn’t need a car to do his job, he added.
Timberlake’s agent and other representatives did not respond to emails seeking comment this week.
The 10-time Grammy winner has not publicly commented on the arrest, but appeared to acknowledge it during a performance in Chicago a few days later.
“It was a tough week,” he said told the audience during the June 21 show at the United Center. “But you’re here, and I’m here. Nothing can change this moment right now.”
Timberlake has been on tour for months promoting his latest album, and he’ll be returning to New York City in the coming weeks with concerts in Newark, New Jersey and Brooklyn.
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Follow Philip Marcelo on twitter.com/philmarcelo.