Justin Timberlake arrested on driving while intoxicated charge

Singer Justin Timberlake was arrested in New York for driving while intoxicated, local officials have told the BBC.

The pop star was arrested and formally charged on Tuesday morning, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Timberlake, 43, was in Sag Harbor, an affluent village in the Hamptons, a popular summer destination for celebrities on Long Island.

He was released without bail after being formally charged, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

The BBC has contacted Timberlake’s lawyer for comment.

Timberlake was arrested after midnight (05:37 BST) after police pulled him over in his grey BMW for driving through a stop sign and failing to stay on the right side of the road, according to a charging document.

When officers stopped him, Timberlake’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and a “strong odour of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from his breath”, the document said.

His speech was slowed and he performed poorly on the officers’ sobriety tests, it added.

He also refused a breathalyser test, according to records.

“I had one martini and I followed my friends home,” Timberlake allegedly told the officer who stopped him, according to the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

He is scheduled to appear virtually in Sag Harbor court on 26 July.

His lawyer, Edward Burke Jr, told CBS on Tuesday evening that he “will vigorously defend his client and is currently engaged in the Discovery process with the District Attorney’s Office”.

Timberlake has been touring the US to promote his sixth album, Everything I Thought It Was, and is due to launch the international leg of it next week, starting in Poland.

A former member of the popular 90s boy band NSYNC, Timberlake is an actor, songwriter and one of the best-selling music artists in the world.

He has spoken openly in the past about seeking help for excessive drinking.

In the state of New York, penalties for charges related to driving while intoxicated include up to a year in jail, a $1,000 (£786) fine and the suspension of a driver’s licence for at least six months.

Timberlake was scheduled to perform two shows in Chicago this weekend, followed by a show in New York’s Madison Square Garden next Tuesday.

The 10-time Grammy winner is also known for his roles in the films The Social Network and Friends With Benefits.

Timberlake is married to actor Jessica Biel, with whom he shares two children.

Source: BBC

--Agencies