SAG HARBOR, N.Y. — Justin Timberlake was pulled over early Tuesday in Long Island’s affluent Hamptons neighborhood, failed a field sobriety test and claimed he’d only had “one martini” before being arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, police said.
The pop superstar, identified in a criminal complaint as a 43-year-old from Franklin, Tennessee, was arraigned about nine hours after his arrest and released without posting bail, police said.
Timberlake was pulled over while driving a grey BMW with Florida registration. He was accused of disregarding a stop sign and failing to drive on the right side of the road just after 12:18 a.m. near Madison Street and Middle Line Highway, according to charging documents.
But when police spoke with Timberlake, he said it was clear the driver was not in a condition to drive, according to the complaint written by Officer Michael Arkinson of the Sag Harbor Village Police Department.
“The defendant was operating the vehicle while intoxicated as evidenced by his bloodshot and hollow eyes, a strong odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath, difficulty distributing attention, slowed speech, unsteady gait, and poor performance on standard field sobriety tests,” Judge Arkinson wrote.
According to the report, Timberlake had difficulty walking heel-to-toe and standing on one leg without swaying or using his arms for balance.
Officers quoted Timberlake as saying he “had a martini and followed his friend home.”
He also refused to take an intoxication test, allegedly telling police, “No, I’m not taking a chemical test.”
“You can file a refusal to do so at trial to establish evidence of willful guilt,” NBC News legal analyst Danny Ceballos said. “That’s the basis for revoking your driver’s license.”
A source close to Timberlake said he had dinner at the American Hotel in the Sag Harbor area of the Hamptons and “then went to a friend’s house where he was stopped by police.”
The building where the American Hotel now stands dates back to before 1776, but it wasn’t until 1972 that the building was restored and reopened.
The American Hotel boasts an extensive wine list with dozens of four-digit names.
It’s a popular spot for visitors to the Hamptons and Long Island’s rich and famous — famous “Piano Man” Billy Joel was spotted having lunch here on Tuesday before heading out on his motorcycle.
Timberlake will perform in Chicago on Friday and Saturday, then return to New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
His “The Forget Tomorrow World Tour” stopped in Miami on Saturday and Tampa on Friday.
Just a day before the arrest, Timberlake’s wife, actress Jessica Biel, spoke glowingly of Timberlake as “the rock of our family” and vowed to always support her husband as “down to earth and warm.”
Biel’s loving words stand in stark contrast to the backlash Timberlake received from fans of his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears this year.
Timberlake, who rose to fame with the pop group ‘N Sync, was portrayed unfavorably in Spears’ memoir, “The Woman in Me,” published last year. The two first met as children on the set of “The Mickey Mouse Club” and dated from 1999 to 2002.
Spears wrote that she had an abortion after becoming pregnant with Timberlake’s child, and accused Timberlake of cheating on her “several times.”
In January, Spears apologized on social media for offending anyone with her memoir and praised Timberlake’s latest single. A few days later, during a performance in New York City, Timberlake said, “I want to take this opportunity to apologize, to absolutely nobody,” sparking fresh online criticism.
Timberlake pleaded not guilty on Tuesday and was ordered to appear in court on July 26, authorities said.
Pei-Sze Cheng and Adam Reiss reported from Sag Harbor, New York, and David K. Li and Brittany Kubicko from New York City.
