Former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville has been officially charged with driving under the influence after his December arrest.
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The Alameda County District Attorney's Office filed two misdemeanor charges against Somerville on Tuesday, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood-alcohol level over .08, with the added element of driving with a blood-alcohol level of .15, according to documents provided to KCBS Radio by the DA's office.
Somerville was arrested on Dec. 30, 2021, after he crashed his 2014 Porsche in downtown Oakland near the intersection of West Grand Ave. and Broadway, as KCBS Radio previously reported.
According to the police report, Somerville rear-ended an Audi, which was stopped facing eastbound in the second lane of West Grand Ave at Broadway.
After the collision, the driver of the Audi got out of their vehicle, and Somerville kept driving, pushing the Audi across the intersection until it collided with a pole.
When he was arrested, Somerville exhibited signs of being under the influence of alcohol, including: "bloodshot/watery eyes, thick/slurred speech, and odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person," according to the police report.
Somerville submitted to an alcohol screening and blew a .239 and .219. He was then arrested and under a search warrant, he gave a blood sample that came in at .24.
This is the latest in Somerville's ongoing troubles this year. Prior to his arrest, he was facing difficulties at the station.
Last May, he took a leave of absence from being anchor after a segment on "The Ten O'clock News on KTVU" showed him slurring, and then leaving the set mid-broadcast, as previously reported by KCBS Radio.
That leave lasted about nine weeks, and he returned in August briefly before being suspended over a conflict regarding the coverage of the Gabby Petito case. The station eventually opted not to re-sign him.
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office declined to comment on the case.
Somerville's attorney, Shannan Dugan, did not respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment at the time of publication.
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