NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Timberlake is expected to enter a new plea on Friday related to his drunk driving charge in the Hamptons, according to prosecutors. Specifics about the plea have not been revealed, but a source familiar with the situation shared that Timberlake has agreed to plead guilty to a lesser charge compared to the original driving while intoxicated accusation.
The source spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity since they weren’t authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Timberlake’s attorney, Edward Burke, did not provide any comments regarding the case.
The pop star is set to appear in person at the Sag Harbor Village Court on Friday to formally enter his plea, as confirmed by the office of Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney on Wednesday.
Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor, located on the eastern end of Long Island, on June 18. Police reported that he ran a stop sign in the center of the village, swerved out of his lane, and exited his BMW with the smell of alcohol on his breath. The 43-year-old singer, originally from Tennessee, pleaded not guilty to the charge of misdemeanor drunk driving.
At a hearing last month, a judge suspended Timberlake’s driving privileges in New York.
His lawyer, Burke, insists that Timberlake was not under the influence and believes the charges should be dismissed.
According to police, Timberlake was stopped after leaving a hotel in Sag Harbor around 12:30 a.m.
Police reports state, “His eyes were bloodshot and glassy, there was a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, he struggled to focus, his speech was slurred, he was unsteady on his feet, and he did poorly on all standard field sobriety tests.”
Timberlake allegedly told the officer that he had consumed just one martini and was following some friends home. He was subsequently arrested and spent the night in a police station.
The representative for Timberlake and his agents did not respond to emails requesting comments on the matter by Wednesday.
Timberlake is a celebrated artist with ten Grammy Awards to his name. He began his career as a young performer on the Disney Channel’s Mickey Mouse Club, gained fame as a member of the boy band NSYNC, and launched a successful solo music career in the early 2000s.
Sag Harbor, once a whaling village featured in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick,” is situated in the Hamptons, approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of New York City.
