Singer Justin Timberlake arrested for drunk driving

NEW YORK — Singer Justin Timberlake was arrested in New York for drunk driving, local officials told the BBC.

The pop star was arrested and officially charged on Tuesday morning, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.

Timberlake was in Sag Harbor, an affluent village in the Hamptons, a popular summer destination for celebrities on Long Island.

He was released without bail after the official arraignment, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.

The BBC has asked Timberlake’s lawyer for comment.

Timberlake was arrested after midnight (05:37 a.m. CEST) after police stopped him in his gray BMW for ignoring a stop sign and failing to stay on the right side of the road, according to an indictment.

When officers stopped him, Timberlake’s eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” and his breath had “the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage,” the document said.

He spoke slowly and performed poorly on officers’ sobriety tests, officials said.

According to records, he also refused to take a breathalyzer test.

“I drank a martini and followed my friends home,” Timberlake told the police officer who stopped him, according to the BBC’s US partner, CBS News.

His virtual appearance in court in Sag Harbor is scheduled for July 26.

His lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., told BBC news partner CBS on Tuesday evening that he would “vigorously defend his client and is currently in the discovery process with the prosecution.”

Timberlake, 43, was about to go on a world tour with his sixth album, “Everything I Thought It Was.”

Timberlake, a former member of the popular boy band NSYNC, is an actor, songwriter and one of the world’s top-selling musicians.

The pop star has spoken openly in the past about seeking help for his excessive drinking.

In New York State, drunk driving can result in up to a year in prison, a $1,000 (£786) fine and a suspension of your driver’s license for at least six months.

Timberlake was scheduled to perform two shows in Chicago this weekend, followed by a show at New York’s Madison Square Garden next Tuesday.

The ten-time Grammy winner is also known for his roles in the films “The Social Network” and “Friends with Benefits.”

Timberlake is married to actress Jessica Biel, with whom he has two children. — BBC