Justin Timberlake reportedly refused to take a breath test during a police stop last Tuesday, and was later arrested on DWI charges in Sag Harbor, New York.
The policeman who stopped the American star was so “young” that he didn’t even recognise the Friends With Benefits star.
Timberlake was dining with friends at the American Hotel on Monday night when police were reportedly stationed outside the hotel.
After Timberlake left, police stopped him for a traffic violation. An insider told Page Six, “His friends were telling the police, ‘Let him go, let him go.'”
The Selfish star submitted to field sobriety tests but refused to take a Breathalyzer test. Authorities said the pop star “performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests.”
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The ‘young’ police officer did not even recognize Justin Timberlake
Police could smell a “strong odor of alcohol” from just a few feet away, and “he was unable to concentrate, his speech was slurred and he was unsteady on one leg.”
According to sources, the officer who stopped Timberlake was “so young he didn’t even know” who he was.
“He didn’t recognize her or her name,” the insider explained.
Another source recalled Timberlake’s concern that the incident could impact his career: “Justin softly said, ‘This will ruin the tour.’ The cop replied, ‘Which tour?’ Justin said, ‘The world tour.'”
Timberlake, 43, was arrested just after midnight and charged with DWI as well as traffic violations for failing to stop at a stop sign and failing to stay in the proper lane.
His attorney, Eddie Burke Jr., a prominent Hampton prosecutor, did not provide details about the arrest but confirmed, “He was a gentleman. He didn’t show any authority at all. He refused to be tested, but that’s his right.”
Burke Jr.’s office is located opposite the American Hotel, where Timberlake was dining.
After being arraigned, Timberlake was released on his own recognizance. His New York license will be suspended, but he has an out-of-state license.
Timberlake was spotted leaving the police station on Tuesday morning, wearing a black baseball cap and sunglasses, as well as a gray vintage T-shirt, black jacket, blue jeans and white Nike Air Force 1 sneakers.
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The Trolls actor, who has two sons with wife Jessica Biel, has spoken openly about his struggle with excessive drinking.
In a 2014 interview with media mogul Oprah Winfrey, he admitted that at one point he “drank an entire bottle of whiskey.”
“I’ve done a lot of drugs and I’ve been caught with my pants down in a few places,” he told the Observer Music Monthly in 2006. “I just make sure there are no cameras around.”
Timberlake is on his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which sees him perform two concerts at Chicago’s United Center on Friday and Saturday.
