
SAG HARBOR, N.Y. (1010 WINS/AP) — Justin Timberlake pleaded guilty to a traffic offense Friday, resolving the criminal case stemming from his June arrest in the Hamptons on a drunken driving charge.
Timberlake agreed to admit guilt to a lesser offense of “driving while ability impaired,” a traffic violation that carries a fine and a 90-day license suspension.
Under the plea deal, Timberlake was required to pay a $500 fine with a $260 surcharge and make a public safety announcement Friday outside Sag Harbor Village Court. Additionally, he’ll have to do 25 hours of community service at a nonprofit of his choice.

"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," Timberlake said outside the courthouse as he was surrounded by reporters. "And this was not that."
"I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision," he continued, before saying that he's had "time to reflect" and urging everyone to avoid driving after even one drink. "This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever’s watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake," he said. Read his full public safety announcement below.
The 10-time Grammy winner had originally pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated and had his driver’s license suspended during a virtual hearing last month.
The boy band singer-turned-solo star and actor entered the courthouse late Friday morning to formally enter the new plea, wearing a black sweater and tan-colored pants.
Police officers escorted Timberlake as he left his lawyer’s office and crossed a street to the courthouse as a crowd including journalists surrounded him. Officers shouted, “Back up, back up,” to clear a path to the courthouse’s front entrance.

During the proceedings Timberlake remained standing throughout and gave a statement in which he expressed remorse for his actions. He said he grew up in a small town and appreciated the kind of strain his arrest has made on Sag Harbor. He said he has had a lot of time to reflect on his actions.
Timberlake said he is “grateful for the opportunity to move forward” and use his platform to hopefully help others make “better decisions.” “I should’ve had better judgment,” he said to the judge. “ I understand the seriousness of this.”
Judge Carl Irace expressed disappointment with the proposed plea deal put forward by prosecutors. He questioned the appropriateness of the public announcement Timberlake intended to make shortly after the court proceedings. He was concerned it did not give proper time for him to reflect on his actions for that reason, he said he was adding on community service requirements to the sentence.
Edward Burke Jr., Timberlake’s attorney, maintained outside the court after the hearing that his client only had one drink in two hours at the American Hotel. “Contrary to what was reported, he wasn’t drinking other peoples’ drinks, or warned in advance not to drive,” said Burke, adding that Timberlake was also polite and cooperative during his arrest. Burke said the lesser charge Timberlake pleaded to is “consistent with these facts.”

Here's Timberlake's public safety announcement, made outside the courthouse after he entered the plea:
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. And this was not that. This was not that. I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision. But I’ve had some time to reflect on that and I also understand—by, you know, the fact that all of you are here—that I have a platform. You have a platform. We share that platform. And so, I’d like to say to everyone watching and listening. 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’s watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have. And like I said—even one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car. I also said this in the courtroom before. But I grew up in a small town, so I can appreciate and understand the strain, or unique nature, that this must have been on the people of Sag Harbor. But I just want to say everyone who’s been involved—from everyone in the courtroom to everyone outside, including the police department—that I’m very grateful and I thank them. And I guess in closing I’d like to say we can all be more safe out there. And I’m going to do my part. I hope that everyone else does their part. And thank you very much.
The case stems from Timberlake's arrest in Sag Harbor a little after midnight on June 18. Police said he ran a stop sign in the village center, veered out of his lane and got out of his BMW smelling of alcohol.
Police in court filings also said the 43-year-old's eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and that he had “slowed speech,” was unsteady on his feet and performed poorly on all sobriety tests.

Timberlake told the officer he had had one martini and was following some friends home, police said.
Sag Harbor is a one-time whaling village mentioned in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick” that is nestled amid the Hamptons, an area of seaside communities around 100 miles east of New York City.
Timberlake's license suspension in New York likely impacts his ability to drive in other states, a legal expert said this week.
Refusing a Breathalyzer test, as Timberlake did during his arrest, triggers an automatic suspension of one's license under New York state law, which should then be enforced in other states, according to Kenneth Gober, a managing partner at the law firm Lee, Gober & Reyna in Austin, Texas.

“Most states participate in the interstate Driver’s License Compact, an agreement to share information about license suspensions and traffic violations,” he explained in an email. “If a license is suspended in one state it should be suspended in all states.”
In practice, though, it can take a long time for such changes to be reflected across state lines, Gober acknowledged. The pop star also has the resources to easily arrange for a driver and doesn’t need a car to drive to do his job, he added.
Timberlake has been on tour for months in support of his latest album. He returns to the New York City area in the coming weeks with concerts in Newark, New Jersey and Brooklyn.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.