SAG HARBOR, NY - After being arrested for DWI on June 18, pop singer Justin Timberlake took to slamming the police officer who arrested him, and fans of the singer took to social media to criticize the officer for not letting Timberlake go. Now, Timberlake has pleaded guilty to a non-criminal violation of driving while impaired, NBC News reported.
The plea was entered by Timberlake at the Sag Harbor Village Courthouse on Friday with his attorney, Edward Burke Jr., at his side.
However, Judge Carl Irace, who initially suspended Timberlake’s license at an August hearing, believed the plea deal was insufficient. He asked Timberlake if he would be willing to volunteer at a nonprofit, to which Timberlake answered in the affirmative.
Timberlake agreed to perform 25-40 hours of community service and pay a fine.
Speaking to reporters after the plea, Timberlake said he attempts to hold himself “to a very high standard.”
“This was not that. I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision,” he said. “Even if you had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend, take an Uber…This was a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever’s watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.”
Suffolk County DA Raymond Tierney credited Timberlake for taking accountability “and for using his platform to increase public awareness about the dangers of drunk driving.”
“Drunk and drugged driving is an extremely serious nationwide public safety issue,” Tierney said in a statement. “In 2024, with the prevalence and convenience of public transit and ride-shares, there is no excuse to get behind the wheel when you are impaired in any way.”
On the night he was arrested, Timberlake had been warned by the same police officer who eventually arrested him not to drive, with reports suggesting police may have been tipped off to Timberlake’s condition and him getting behind the wheel, the Daily Mail reported at the time.
Timberlake was pulled over at around 12:30 a.m. after running a stop sign and veering out of his lane while driving his 2025 BMW X 7. A source told the Daily Mail that Timberlake “was stopped and advised not to drive” in his condition by police officer Michael Arkinson.
“The officer didn’t recognize him; he’s a young guy,” the source said. “And he still gave Justin a break because he didn’t pose an immediate danger.” The source said Arkinson believed “that was the end of it” and believed Timberlake would arrange for a ride home. Several minutes later, he saw Timberlake behind the wheel of his car.
Another source said that police had been tipped off by someone who told them Timberlake “was having a lot of drinks and they told the cop to watch him if he is going to drive.”
According to a document obtained by the Associated Press at the time, police papers read, “His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot, and he performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests."
Timberlake told police he had “one martini and was following some friends home.”
Once at the police station, Timberlake refused a breath test.
Despite Timberlake claiming only to have had one drink, a witness told The New York Post that he was “wasted” before his arrest and was seen drinking someone else’s drink from another table.
Timberlake’s attorney disputed the allegations during his plea deal appearance.
“Contrary to what was reported, he wasn’t drinking other people’s drinks or warned in advance not to drive,” he said. “He wasn’t rude, he wasn’t obnoxious, he wasn’t belligerent. In fact, he was polite, he was cooperative, he was respectful during his entire encounter with law enforcement as they were to him.”
Burke said the reduced charge comports with the facts of the case.
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