Justin Timberlake’s driving privileges were taken away in court Friday as he pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence.
The singer, 43, appeared in Long Island court virtually from Belgium, where he is currently on tour. The court appearance stems from his June 18 arrest when police said he ran a stop sign and veered out of his lane in the posh beach town of Sag Harbor, N.Y.
Court documents say the pop star was driving a BMW around 12:30 a.m. when an officer stopped him and determined he was intoxicated.
“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 court papers said.
Justin Timberlake, centre, appears by video during his arraignment in Sag Harbor Justice Carl Irace’s courtroom on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024 in Sag Harbor, N.Y.
John Roca /Newsday via AP
In documents released by police the day after his arrest, it’s written that Timberlake apparently refused the breath test once they arrived at the station.
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Dressed in a black collared shirt, the former NSYNC singer said little during the remote arraignment as Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace suspended his licence.
His attorney, Edward Burke Jr., has maintained that Timberlake was not drunk and that the case should be dropped.
“The facts remain he was not intoxicated,” Burke said Friday, according to Newsday. “I’ll say it again: Justin Timberlake was not intoxicated and we’re very confident that charge, that criminal charge, will be dismissed.”
At the time of his arrest, the SexyBack singer told authorities he drank only one martini and that he’d been following some friends home in his car.
Justin Timberlake’s mugshot after his DWI arrest on June 18, 2024, in Sag Harbor, New York.
Sag Harbor Police
Irace set a next court date for Aug. 9.
The case was delayed after Burke said the original charging document lacked a sergeant’s signature and should be thrown out.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Cangro said new documents were filed July 2 that should address that flaw.
— with files from The Associated Press
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