Justin Timberlake Tearfully Begs Forgiveness After Pleading Guilty

Justin Timberlake says don’t drink and drive.

The star, who initially claimed he’d only had “one martini” after he was pulled over back in June, admitted in court Friday that he had been drinking and was impaired at the time authorities arrested him behind the wheel in Sag Harbor, per TMZ. He pleaded guilty to impaired driving.

He allegedly told the cops at the time, “I had one martini and I followed my friends home,” as described in the complaint against him, which also noted that he was unsteady and couldn’t focus on speaking with officers while looking for his car registration.

Addressing the press just after his hearing Friday, Timberlake said, “I try to hold myself to a very high standard for myself and this was not that.” He then seemed to hold back tears as he said, “I found myself in a position where I could have made a different decision.” He added, “Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car.”

As part of his penance, Timberlake will pay a maximum fine of $500, complete 25-40 hours of community service, and make a public service announcement, likely to raise awareness around drunk driving. His New York license is suspended, as is the legal repercussion for refusing a breathalyzer as he did following the arrest.

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