Justin Timberlake expected to plead guilty to impaired driving in New York
Associated Press
SAG HARBOR, N.Y. (AP) — Justin Timberlake is expected to plead guilty to a traffic offense Friday, resolving the criminal case stemming from his June arrest in New York’s Hamptons on a drunken driving charge.
The boy band singer-turned-solo star and actor entered Sag Harbor Village Court late in the morning and was expected to formally enter a new plea.
Police officers escorted Timberlake as he left his lawyer’s office and crossed a street to the courthouse as a crowd including journalists surrounded him. Officers shouted “Back up. Back up” to clear a path to the courthouse’s front entrance.
Details of the agreement with prosecutors weren’t disclosed, but a person with knowledge of the deal said Timberlake has agreed to admit guilt to a lesser offense of “ driving while ability impaired,” a traffic violation that carries a $300 to $500 fine and a 90-day license suspension.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the deal until it was approved by a judge Friday.
The pop star originally pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated and had his driver’s license suspended during a hearing last month.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office, which is prosecuting the case, declined to comment ahead of the hearing, as did Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke.
Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, New York, 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 in court filings also said the 43-year-old Tennessee native’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that he had “slowed speech,” was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on all sobriety tests.
Timberlake told the officer he had had one martini and was following some friends home, police said.
Sag Harbor is a one-time whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick” that is nestled amid the Hamptons, an area of seaside communities around 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.
Timberlake’s license suspension in New York likely affects his ability to drive in other states, a legal expert said this week.
Refusing a Breathalyzer test, as Timberlake did during his arrest, triggers an automatic suspension of one’s license under New York state law, which should then be enforced in other states, according to Kenneth Gober, a managing partner at the law firm Lee, Gober & Reyna in 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 license is suspended in one state it should be suspended in all states.”
In practice, though, it can take a long time for such changes to be reflected across state lines, Gober acknowledged. The pop star also has the resources to easily arrange for a driver and doesn’t need a car to drive to do his job, he added.
Timberlake’s agent and other representatives didn’t respond to emails seeking comment this week.
The 10-time Grammy winner hasn’t publicly addressed the arrest but seemed to acknowledge it during a performance in Chicago just days later.
“It’s been a tough week,” he 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 in support of his latest album. He returns to the New York City area in the coming weeks with concerts in Newark, New Jersey; and Brooklyn.
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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo.
