Justin Timberlake has received a boost after his DWI arrest last month as it doesn't seem to have negatively impacted public perception of him, according to a new poll.
The pop star and actor was arrested in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York, on a DWI charge. On June 18, Timberlake was detained overnight by the Sag Harbor Police Department before his arraignment at the village courthouse the following morning. Police documents reported by The Associated Press said officers observed Timberlake running a stop light, swerving multiple times, and failing to maintain his lane while driving his BMW through the village after midnight.
Timberlake refused to take a Breathalyzer test following his arrest, allegedly telling officers, "I had one martini and followed my friends home." The documents noted Timberlake's "bloodshot and glassy" eyes, the "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath," and his poor performance on all standardized field sobriety tests.
On July 26, a New York judge decided that Timberlake would be virtually arraigned on a drunken driving charge on August 2 while he continued his Forget Tomorrow World Tour in Europe.
According to a Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll of 1,750 people, the arrest hasn't negatively impacted some participants' perception of the singer. Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Timberlake for comment on Wednesday.
Participants were asked, "To what extent if at all, are you familiar with Justin Timberlake's DWI arrest." Almost 21 percent of people said they were "very familiar;" just under a quarter (23 percent) said they were "moderately familiar;" and another 23 percent said "somewhat familiar." The majority of people, 33 percent, said they were "not at all familiar."
Those who said they were "somewhat familiar" were then asked whether their opinion of Justin Timberlake had changed since his arrest.
In response, more than half of that 23 percent said their view of Timberlake has not changed (63 percent); 11 percent said they now have a more positive view of him; 21 percent said they now have a more negative view of the "Cry Me a River" singer; and 5 percent said they "Don't know."
Timberlake hasn't let the arrest stop him from touring, as the former boy band member returned to his tour just days afterward and addressed the controversy.
"We've been together through ups and downs and lefts and rights. And, uh, it's been a tough week. But you're here and I'm here. Nothing can change this moment right now," Timberlake said. "I know sometimes I'm hard to love, but you keep on loving me and I love you right back."
The Forget Tomorrow World Tour is the seventh headlining concert tour of Timberlake's career. It is his first tour in five years, and is in support of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was.
The singer's tour is jam-packed. He is scheduled to continue his show across Europe, Canada and the United States, visiting cities such as London, Amsterdam, Montreal and Chicago. It is scheduled to end in Kansas City in December.
On July 26, Village Justice Carl Irace agreed to review a motion from Timberlake's attorney, Edward Burke Jr., to dismiss the case outright based on what the lawyer called a procedurally "defective" criminal complaint filed by Timberlake's arresting officer, Deadline reported.
Burke claimed the "young" and "part-time" officer failed to have a supervising officer sign-off on the criminal complaint.
Burke maintained the "Sexyback" singer's innocence Friday in a statement to Newsweek.
"The most important fact to know about this case is that Justin was not intoxicated and should not have been arrested for DWI," he said.
"The police made a number of very significant errors in this case. In court today, you heard the district attorney try to fix one of those errors. But that's just one and there are many others. Sometimes, the police make mistakes, and this is just one of those instances."
The statement continues: "Justin respects law enforcement and the very important job that they do. He cooperated with the police officers at all times and treated them with the respect they deserve. He also respects the entire judicial process including the District Attorney and Judge who were in court today.
"But the fact remains, he was not intoxicated and they made an error in arresting him for it. We are confident that this charge will be dismissed," Burke concluded.
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