Justin Timberlake arrested for drunk driving: Owner of hotel where star drank ‘a martini’ before being stopped

The owner of the Sag Harbor hotel where Justin Timberlake was drinking before being arrested for drunk driving on Monday night has praised the singer as a “great guy.”

The Sexy Back singer – whose lawyer broke his silence on the case – was seen crossing a street and ignoring a stop sign before he was arrested.

He claimed he only drank “one martini” at The American Hotel and refused to take a breathalyzer test.

Ted Conklin, owner of the American Hotel, told TMZ that Justin was a model guest during his stay there, adding that the singer was “a great guest and a nice guy.”

This comes after it was revealed that the police officer who arrested Timberlake for drunk driving was too young to recognize the embarrassed music megastar.

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Police had to intervene after the “Sexy Back” singer was seen crossing a street and ignoring a stop sign in Sag Harbor, New York, on Monday night.

Sources told Page Six that the police officer who stopped him was “so young he didn’t even know” who the pop star was.

The insider told the outlet that the officer “didn’t recognize him or his name” after he was stopped.

After the 43-year-old failed a breathalyzer test, officers arrested the father of two children and took him to the local police station, where he refused to take a breathalyzer test.

The outlet also reported that Timberlake quietly said, “This is going to ruin the tour,” to which the officer responded, “What tour?” Justin said, “The world tour.”

The singer, who rose to fame as the lead singer of ’90s boy band NSYNC before launching a successful solo career in the 2000s, is currently on a world tour to promote his new album.

He was driving a 2025 BMW in Sag Harbor around 12:30 a.m. when the officer stopped him and found him to be intoxicated.

In a report obtained by DailyMail.com, Timberlake is described as having “bloodshot and glassy” eyes, smelling strongly of alcohol, speaking slowly and being unable to maintain his attention.

In fasting tests, the patient is asked to walk in a straight line on their heels and toes, turn around and retrace their steps, or stand on one leg.

Justin told the officer he had “had a martini and followed some friends home.”

After being arrested and taken to a police station in nearby East Hampton, he refused to take a breathalyzer test.

On Tuesday morning, exclusive photos obtained by DailyMail.com showed him being led by police officers across the bridge from Sag Harbor Police Headquarters to the village courthouse.

Timberlake appeared to be in shock and was staring straight ahead as police led him out.

After a brief arraignment that resulted in him being banned from driving in New York for a year, he was released without bail and left the courtroom wearing a baseball cap.

Justin was charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to stop and failure to maintain his lane. His next court date is July 26.

Justin had been drinking with friends at the bar of the American Hotel in the Hamptons.

A witness told the New York Post that the singer was “drunk” before his arrest for drunk driving and was even seen drinking another person’s drink at another table.

The unidentified person told the outlet: “He was drunk. At some point, just before closing time, someone got up to go to the bathroom and left their drink on the table.”

“When (the man) came back, (Timberlake) was drinking his drink. The guy said, ‘Justin, that’s my drink!'”

When reports emerged that Justin told police officers on the scene that he had “just had a martini” before “following his friends home,” it opened the floodgates for the creation of dozens of memes.

Fans joked about the size of the martini glass and his famous dance moves caught up with him after he failed the breathalyzer test.

One wrote: “Why does Justin Timberlake look so hungover when he only had ONE martini? The martini…” alongside a GIF of a giant martini glass being carried to a table.

Others uploaded memes of bartenders generously pouring alcohol into a cocktail glass.

Justin’s wife Jessica was seen in public on Tuesday for the first time since her husband’s arrest.

The 42-year-old actress was photographed filming scenes for her upcoming Amazon series “The Better Sister” in New York City.

Jessica appeared tense and expressionless as she stood around on set between takes.

She plays the main role in the series along with Elizabeth Banks. The series is based on the 2019 novel by Alafair Burke.

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They play two sisters who are brought together by tragedy after one of their husbands is murdered.

The set was not far from Sag Harbor, the village in the Hamptons.

The Hamptons have long been a hotspot for the rich and famous, and several stars and other prominent individuals have run into trouble with the law there.

Justin had reportedly been drinking more to “escape” the backlash over Britney Spears’ sensational memoir and the growing pressure to stay on the charts. Insiders claim he arrived at tour rehearsals stinking of alcohol on more than one occasion.

Insiders claim the incident is intended to be a “wake-up call” for the singer, who has been using alcohol to cope with the explosive allegations made against him by 42-year-old Britney, including that he pressured her to have an abortion in the early 2000s.

In addition, sources claim he has crumbled under the increasing pressure of competing with popular artists such as Harry Styles – and he is struggling with the lackluster performance of his last album, “Everything I Thought It Was,” which failed to top the charts when it was released in March.

“Justin was stressed because of the Britney drama at the end of last year and some of us noticed he was drinking more,” a source exclusively told DailyMail.com.

“He is by no means an alcoholic, but he has been advised to limit his drinking to keep a clear head during public controversy, as he has been accused of poorly handling the backlash from Britney and Janet Jackson.”

The source continued: “The guys who were there last night didn’t want him to drive because they had been drinking, but they were ignored.”

“He’s cooperating now and working with his attorney, Edward (Burke, Jr.), who’s helping him get through this. His friends have been wanting him to quit drinking for some time, so this is a bit of a wake-up call.

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“The pressure of competing with artists like Harry Styles and Drake is getting to him and the lower numbers (album sales) are definitely affecting him.

“We’ve all been feeling that for some time and it’s influenced his writing process on his last few records.”

A second insider shared the concerns, claiming Justin’s recent alcohol-related incident was due to a need to “escape” poor album sales.

“It’s hard to say why someone drinks, but if it has to do with where they are in their life, it makes sense to say they need an escape,” they said.

“This will probably be his last successful tour and he is aware of that. He has a wife and two small children at home.

“He wasn’t particularly happy with the sales of his album, but then again, nobody at the label was. Everyone was expecting much better.”

A third source claimed that his drinking habits were well known among those closest to him.

“It’s no secret that Justin drinks, and the dancers know this better than anyone,” they said. “He has come to rehearsal several times smelling of alcohol.”

The source said he “often celebrates a good show by getting drunk,” but he can also be “flirty” – his wife Jessica, for example, comes along on nights out and “babysits” him.

“When he drinks, he’s totally flirty and Jessica has to keep an eye on him,” they continued. “She’s been out with the crew several times.”

“He blamed alcohol for his past behavior, including being caught holding hands with Alisha (Wainwright).”

Back in 2019, Justin claimed he had drunk “way too much” after pictures emerged showing him holding hands with his Palmer co-star Alisha at a bar in New Orleans.

He later apologized publicly and said he “has shown a major error in judgement,” before insisting that “nothing happened between me and my co-star.”

The singer is reportedly still planning to perform the next two shows of his “The Forget Tomorrow World Tour” later this week in Chicago.

Next week there will be two consecutive nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City.