A judge has suspended pop singer Justin Timberlake‘s New York driver’s license because he declined to take a breathalyzer test after he was pulled over and arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated in June.
Sag Harbor Justice Carl Irace on Friday ordered the suspension of the singer’s license in a virtual court hearing, in accordance with New York state law. Timberlake’s lawyer, Ed Burke, told NBC News that the suspension is in place for the duration of the court case.
Timberlake called into the hearing from Antwerp, Belgium, where he is scheduled to perform this weekend as part of his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour.” The 43-year-old pop star has pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor.
Irace also reprimanded Burke for comments he made last week and threatened him with a gag order. Burke had told reporters outside of court that Sag Harbor Police had made “very significant errors” in the case and that he expected charges to be dismissed.
“It comes off as an attempt to poison the case before it even begins,” Irace told the lawyer. Timberlake was arrested in the village of Sag Harbor, New York, on June 18. According to the criminal complaint, Timberlake told a police officer that he’d only had one martini and was following some friends home. Timberlake also declined to take a chemical test to determine his level of sobriety, which NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos explained “can be introduced at trial to establish conscious evidence of guilt.” The officer noted in the complaint a slew of other behaviors from Timberlake that suggested an inebriated state, including being “unable to divide attention,” slowed speech, unsteady footing, “bloodshot and glassy” eyes and breath that smelled of alcohol.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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