Justin Timberlake pleads guilty in drunken driving charge in New York, sentenced to $500 fine, 25 hrs community service

Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to an impaired driving case in New York on Friday and was sentenced to a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and 25 hours of community service, reported the Associated Press. The court also suspended the American singer's license for 90 days.

After the hearing, Justin Timberlake issued a public statement admitting that he made a mistake and urged everyone not to get behind the wheel of a car, even if they had “one drink”.

“I try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself, and this was not that,” AP quoted Timberlake as saying to the news media and other onlookers after the hearing in the adjacent Sag Harbor Village Court.

“Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car,. There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There’s many travel apps. Still, take a taxi. This is a mistake that I made, but I'm hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have,” he said.

Timberlake pleaded guilty to lesser serious charges in drunken driving case

According to news agency Reuters, Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to a lesser traffic charge than drunk driving. He appeared in a hearing for an impaired driving case registered in June this year.

The pop star agreed to plead guilty to driving while ability impaired, which was a lesser traffic violation than driving while impaired, reported Reuters, citing multiple media reports.

After pleading guilty, Timberlake was fined $500 and ordered to perform 25 hours of community service to a non-profit organisation. During the arrest in June, the police found him failing to obey a stop sign and veering off lane while he was driving a 2025 gray BMW shortly after midnight.

Timberlake's eyes “were bloodshot and glassy, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he was unsteady afoot and performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests,” read the court documents, according to Reuters.