Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to driving while impaired in New York drunk driving case

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving while impaired on Friday in his drunk driving case in the US state of New York.

The music superstar made a plea deal with prosecutors to accept the lesser charge of a traffic infraction, instead of facing a misdemeanor criminal charge of driving while intoxicated (DWI), according to media outlets.

Timberlake was sentenced to between 25 and 40 hours of community service, will have to pay a $500 fine and will have his New York State driver's license suspended for 90 days. The judge also ordered the Grammy award winner to issue a public safety announcement about the dangers of drunk driving.

Had he been convicted, Timberlake could have faced a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $2,500 fine.

"I try to hold myself to a very high standard for myself, and this was not that," said Timberlake at a news conference after the court proceedings. "I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision, but I’ve had some time to reflect on that."

"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," he continued. "There's so many alternatives – call a friend, take an Uber, there's many travel apps, so take a taxi."

Timberlake was leaving a hotel on June 18 when he was pulled over by Sag Harbor Police in the affluent Hamptons area of Suffolk County for running a stop sign and swerving into the oncoming lane.

During the traffic stop, the officer smelled alcohol on Timberlake's breath and noticed that he had bloodshot, glassy eyes, according to the police report.

Timberlake told the arresting officer that he had only one drink, but the criminal complaint revealed that the pop music icon had slow speech, was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly during a field sobriety test.

"We can all be more safe out there and I'm gonna do my part. I hope that everyone else does their part," said Timberlake. "Even one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car."

Timberlake is currently on his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour. His next performance is on Sept. 28 in the neighboring state of New Jersey.