Justin Timberlake Forced To Apologize Outside Court After Taking Plea Deal In DWI Case: ‘This Is A Mistake That I Made’

Justin Timberlake issued a court-ordered apology after a plea deal for a DWI charge. “This is a mistake that I made,” he said.

via: Page Six

“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, take a taxi,” Timberlake said in front of a crowd of reporters gathered outside the Sag Harbor courthouse.

“This is a mistake that I made, but I’m hoping that whoever is watching and listening right now can learn from this mistake. I know that I certainly have.”

Earlier Friday, the “Mirrors” crooner formally pleaded guilty to a traffic violation, driving while ability impaired (DWAI), which is not a criminal offense unlike his original driving while intoxicated (DWI) charge.

The main difference between a DWAI and DWI is the level of intoxication, according to legal experts.

A judge ordered Timberlake, 43, to pay a $500 fine, perform 25 hours of community service at a nonprofit and appear in a public service announcement on the dangers of drunk driving.

The pop star arrived at the courthouse early in the morning wearing brown trousers, a black T-shirt and a matching cardigan.

During the hearing, Timberlake said he had a lot of “time to reflect” following his June arrest. He told the judge that he was filled with “disappointment” in himself and knows he “did not live up to the standard” he holds himself to, per People.

“I found myself in a position where I should’ve taken a moment,” he said in the courtroom. “I understand and appreciate the seriousness of this.”

The hitmaker also took “a moment to show gratitude to everybody involved” and apologized for putting a “strain” on the small town in the Hamptons.

After news of his plea deal broke earlier this week, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney told Page Six exclusively that Timberlake’s case had been handled with the same amount of care as any other offender.

“The one thing that we want to make sure we’re doing is … being consistent, and we don’t want to treat any defendant better than others because of … any perceived notoriety they may have,” Tierney told us.

“But we certainly don’t want to treat people worse for the same reason,” he added. “So we’re taking pains to make sure that we’re treating this case like any other case of its kind.”

Timberlake was arrested shortly after midnight on June 18 after allegedly running a stop sign and swerving between lanes. He had been drinking with friends at a popular bar earlier in the evening.

The former *NSYNC member later claimed he had only one martini, a sentiment dittoed by his lawyer, Edward Burke Jr.

Burke claimed Timberlake was “not intoxicated” at the time of his arrest and that “police made a number of very significant errors in this case.”

The reason I cannot stand JT is because he walks around with this sense of entitlement. You know he didn't want to get out there and do a press conference, but to humanize himself a bit he was forced to do it.

What's really going to cook his privileged noodle is that in addition to paying a $500 fine he's going to have to do community service. So while he isn't receiving jailtime, and he came across well rehearsed during his press conference, I can see past all the pomp and circimstance to know that he's a POS.