Pop star Justin Timberlake entered a not guilty plea on Friday regarding a charge of driving under the influence, following his arrest in June in Sag Harbor, New York. Authorities arrested him after observing him disregard a stop sign and drift out of his lane. Sag Harbor Village Justice Carl Irace has suspended Timberlake's driving rights in New York state, as reported by the court, with his next hearing scheduled for August 9, which will be conducted virtually. Timberlake was in Europe at the time, on a global tour supporting his latest album, Everything I Thought It Was.
During the virtual hearing, Judge Irace warned Timberlake's attorney, Edward Burke, about potential restrictions on his public statements after Burke's comments to the media post the previous hearing on July 26, as reported by NBC News. Irace expressed concern that Burke's statements could be perceived as an attempt to bias the case prematurely. In July, Burke publicly stated that Timberlake was not intoxicated and should not have been arrested, asserting that the police had made significant errors in the case and that he was confident the charges would be dropped.
Timberlake, aged 43, was arrested on June 18 in Sag Harbor on Long Island, driving a 2025 gray BMW just after midnight. According to court documents, when stopped by the police, Timberlake exhibited bloodshot and glassy eyes, a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, difficulty in dividing his attention, unsteady footing, and poor performance on standardized field sobriety tests. He admitted to having consumed alcohol before driving and refused to undergo a breathalyzer test.
