Justin Timberlake is expected to appear personally in court in the Hamptons on Friday in his drunk-driving case, amid reports that the pop star will admit to a traffic violation.
Timberlake’s expected appearance in local court in Sag Harbor – the seaside playground area for the rich and famous out on New York’s scenic South Fork peninsula on Long Island – stems from his 18 June arrest after he allegedly drove through a stop sign and swerved out of his lane. The singer was charged with the misdemeanor offense of driving while intoxicated (DWI).
“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,” the police said in a criminal complaint against Timberlake.
Timberlake allegedly told the arresting officer that he had one martini and was following friends home in his car from the chic American Hotel restaurant nearby. Timberlake allegedly refused a breath-test and he spent the night in custody at the local police station.
The 10-time Grammy winner was photographed at the police station. His mugshot immediately went viral and became the basis for artwork in Sag Harbor.
Timberlake pleaded not guilty during a virtual court appearance in August. The judge overseeing the case suspended the driving license of the singer-songwriter, producer and member of the enduring band ‘NSync.
The Suffolk county prosecutor’s office said Timberlake is anticipated to enter a plea during his appearance later this week, meaning he would be there in person.
ABC News on Wednesday reported that Timberlake has brokered a deal to resolve his DWI proceeding, including pleading guilty and paying a fine, ending the misdemeanor case. TMZ reported that Timberlake’s agreement does not involve admission to drunk driving or any criminal count – and that he was only poised to admit to a traffic violation.
Later Wednesday the New York Times reported that Timberlake was expected to plead guilty to a lesser offense, citing a spokeswoman for the Suffolk county district attorney’s office, without giving further details.
Timberlake’s attorney declined to comment on these reports.
Edward Burke Jr, the high-profile attorney representing Timberlake, said at a prior court appearance that the star maintained his innocence.
“Justin should not have been arrested for driving while intoxicated. The police made a number of significant errors in this case,” Burke told reporters outside court, saying that police can make mistakes “like every one of us”.
Burke had previously pushed for Timberlake’s case to be tossed outright, telling Judge Carl Irace that a police supervisor did not sign off on paperwork composed by a new officer which, he insisted, was legally problematic.
“Both forms and procedures have their place and purpose in the administration of the law,” Burke said during a July court proceeding. “Without them, your honor, we would have chaos.”
Associated Press contributed to this report