Justin Timberlake performed a public service announcement in front of the Sag Harbor Police Department on Friday, shortly after pleading guilty to driving while impaired.
“Even if you’ve had one drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a car,” he said, according to the Associated Press. “There’s so many alternatives. Call a friend. Take an Uber. There’s many travel apps. Still, take a taxi.”
In June, Timberlake was arrested on the suspicion of driving while intoxicated through the tony city on Long Island in New York. Timberlake initially pleaded not guilty to the charges and had his license revoked by a judge for refusing the breathalyzer test.
The pop star’s urging of onlookers and media gathered in the Hamptons town was part of a plea deal that Timberlake accepted. That deal reduced the charges he was facing from misdemeanor to a non-criminal traffic violation. Timberlake was ultimately sentenced to 25 hours of community service, a 90-day suspension of his license and asked to pay a $500 fine.
“I should have had better judgment,” Timberlake told Judge Carl Irace at the sentencing. “I understand the seriousness of this.”
Timberlake’s arresting officers said that the “Cry Me A River” singer had “glassy and bloodshot” eyes and that “a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage was emanating from” him. Social media users quickly jumped on his reported response that the arrest “was going to ruin the tour” and turned it into a meme.
“I try to hold myself to a very high standard, for myself, and this was not that,” Timberlake told his audience on Friday.
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