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Details about what happened “minutes” before Justin Timberlake’s DWI arrest had one law enforcement source calling the multiplatinum artist a “dumba**.”

While a court appearance slated for July 26 would yet determine if the former Mouseketeer and NSYNC member would walk away with more than a “slap on the wrist” following his early morning arrest Tuesday in the Hamptons, it wasn’t celebrity treatment that had initially granted Timberlake an unheeded warning.

According to a law enforcement source who spoke with the New York Post, the pop star pullover had occurred “several minutes later” after “he was stopped and advised not to drive.”

Details from the source confirmed that the 23-year-old officer who’d first stopped Timberlake was, in fact, the same member of the Sag Harbor Police Department on Long Island, New York who would go on to arrest the “Cry Me a River” singer after he was allegedly spotted running a stop sign and swerving out of his lane.

“The officer didn’t recognize him; he’s a young guy. And he still gave Justin a break, because he didn’t pose an immediate danger,” the source told the newspaper.

Image via Sag Harbor Police Department

“The officer thought that was the end of it, that this guy would get a ride home,” further explained the source before the entertainer “was observed by the same officer, driving” his 2025 BMW SUV as charged.

“What a dumba**. I am thinking he could afford a driver. How’s that for entitlement?” wondered the law enforcement source.

Despite being well-mannered throughout the interaction, Timberlake was said to have refused to take the Breathalyzer three times after claiming that he’d only had a single martini while dining with friends Monday night at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor. Further, court documents suggested that he had been “performing poorly” on the field sobriety tests, his eyes were “glassy,” his speech was slurred and he smelled strongly of alcohol.

Another law enforcement source alleged of the popular hangout for Billy Joel that employees were notorious for aiding patrons in avoiding the local police, “Before cell phones and cameras were everywhere, bartenders in the village would call 911 and report a fire or an accident miles and miles away, just so their customers could drive home.”

Timberlake was said to have lamented how the arrest might impact his tour schedule and, according to the Post, while performing in Chicago Friday he told fans, “It’s been a tough week. I know I’m hard to love sometimes but you keep loving me right back.”

The newspaper indicated, “While he faces up to a year in jail if convicted, experts believe Timberlake will likely receive a slap on the wrist, given this is his first offense.”

Reactions to the word of the singer-songwriter’s missed chance at avoiding punishment included a noteworthy comparison to the Michigan man who’d shown up to his hearing for driving with a suspended license via video call — while driving.

Kevin Haggerty
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