Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to driving while impaired: ‘It was a clear misjudgment’

3 weeks ago 10
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Here are some photos of Justin Timberlake in Sag Harbor on Friday. He had a court appearance, and at the last minute, Justin accepted a plea deal. Back in June, Justin was arrested and jailed overnight for driving while intoxicated. The arresting officer had ample evidence that Timberlake was sh-tfaced, and Justin is very lucky that he didn’t hurt or kill someone while he was driving under the influence. Instead of immediately accepting responsibility, Justin and his local lawyer spent months making asses out of themselves and trying to convince everyone that Justin wasn’t drunk, etc. That all came crashing down on Friday. Apparently, Justin put the best acting performance of his life in court:

The singer Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty on Friday to driving while impaired, resolving a case that began with his June arrest on drunken-driving charges in the Hamptons. As part of his plea, Mr. Timberlake agreed to pay a $500 fine and serve 25 hours of community service for a charity of his choosing. He also agreed to a 90-day suspension of his driver’s license in New York.

The singer, who was originally charged with the more serious crime of driving while intoxicated, entered the plea during an appearance at a 30-seat courthouse in the village of Sag Harbor. He wore a black cardigan and khaki slacks, with a double strand of pearls peeking out from beneath a dark T-shirt.

During the hearing, Mr. Timberlake looked on with his hands folded in front of him. His original plea agreement stipulated that he would make a public safety announcement discouraging drinking and driving. Justice Carl Irace, the village court judge overseeing the case, said on Friday that it would be more meaningful for the singer to commit himself to “a period of reflection and contemplation” through community service.

Mr. Timberlake agreed, and acknowledged that he had erred in driving rather than calling a taxi or getting a ride from a friend.

“It was a clear misjudgment,” he said. Justice Irace, satisfied with Mr. Timberlake’s contrition, commended him for his sincerity. The judge also asked about drug and alcohol counseling for the singer, calling its absence from the plea deal “concerning,” but did not impose it.

Speaking in front of a throng of reporters and cameras outside Sag Harbor Police Headquarters after the hearing, Mr. Timberlake urged people following the case to learn from his mistake.

“Many of you have probably been covering me for a lot of my life, and as you may know, I try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself, and this was not that,” he said.

[From The NY Times]

“The judge also asked about drug and alcohol counseling for the singer, calling its absence from the plea deal ‘concerning,’ but did not impose it.” When Justin was arrested, I wondered if his giant ego would allow him to show some kind of humility or contrition, and whether he would do some kind of rehab program, something to show the court that he was taking this seriously. Instead, he pushed stories about how he wasn’t drunk and that the cop was evil for arresting drunk drivers. Justin was so awful, he had ACAB Nation saying “actually, it’s good when cops arrest drunk drivers.” Anyway, I also wish the court had imposed some kind of counseling or something, but whatever. At least he pleaded out and he better do that community service.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.

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