- Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving while impaired — a non-criminal traffic violation.
- The judge initially felt the plea was 'surprisingly favorable' to Timberlake.
Justin Timberlake took a plea deal in his DWI case — and warned others against driving while intoxicated.
Timberlake pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, a non-criminal traffic violation, his lawyer Edward Burke Jr. said in a press conference after court.
CNN reports the judge initially found the agreement to be "surprisingly favorable" to Timberlake. The judge ordered Timberlake to volunteer for 25 hours of community service, as well as to make a public safety announcement, CNN reported.
Timberlake will also pay a $500 fine and have his license suspended in New York for 90 days, according to CNN.
Timberlake acknowledged his platform as a celebrity and said he'd fallen short of the standards he sets for himself.
"Even if you've had one drink, don't get behind the wheel of a car," he told press gathered outside the courthouse. "There's so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There's many travel apps. You can still take a taxi."
"This is a mistake that I made," he continued, "but I'm hoping that whoever's watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake."
Timberlake also acknowledged the "strain" the incident had put on the small town of Sag Harbor in the Hamptons.
Timberlake was arrested on DWI charges in June and pleaded not guilty at his last hearing in August.
Speaking to the media outside court, Burke said his client had not been driving while intoxicated and had only "finished the contents of one drink in two hours."
He also said Timberlake had been cooperative and respectful to law enforcement.