Former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville has been arrested again, this time on suspicion of battery with serious bodily injury. Jail records indicated that the arrest occurred Monday evening, and Somerville was in custody at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, but yesterday, he had seemingly made bail and was released, according to Mercury News.
Somerville, who replaced Dennis Richmond as co-anchor in 2008, has faced a series of legal troubles over the past few years including multiple incidents involving alcohol. He was arrested twice in a single day back in June 2023 following confrontations with his family while allegedly intoxicated. Despite recent events, Somerville affirmed on Facebook that he was sober during this latest altercation with his daughter. "I love my daughter more than anything in the world. I would never deliberately try to hurt her. But bad things happen in battle," Somerville said, as per SFGATE.
This is not Somerville's first brush with the law. In December 2021, he was arrested on DUI charges with a blood alcohol level recorded at three times the legal limit. Somerville, since his departure from KTVU in January 2022, has been open about his struggles with alcohol addiction and has documented his journey through rehabilitation on social media. He claimed to have been clean for nine months prior to the incident involving his daughter.
The Oakland Police Department (OPD) is currently investigating the assault, which took place shortly before 5:45 PM on Monday on Arlington Avenue. The OPD did not directly name Somerville in their correspondence but confirmed that a suspect was taken into custody after officers arrived at the scene to communicate with a relocated victim. There is an ongoing appeal for witnesses to come forward with any relevant information. Those willing to share can reach out to the OPD Criminal Investigations Division at 510-238-3426 or send materials to [email protected], as per the request by OPD provided to SFGATE.
