Sonya Heitshusen, reporter and anchor for WHO in Des Moines, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated, The Des Moines Register reports.
She originally entered a plea of not-guilty to the charge. Heitshusen was arrested in June. That same weekend, another reporter for the NBC affiliate, Erik Wheater, was also arrested for OWI.
Heitshusen, 47, of Des Moines, was pulled over near downtown Des Moines’ entertainment district around 1 a.m. driving the wrong way down a street, authorities said. Police said she at first refused to exit her vehicle, then had trouble balancing and refused any field sobriety or breath tests.
AdvertisementHeinshusen works as a reporter and anchors the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts for Channel 13. She also worked for WOI-TV from 1991 to 2001, left journalism briefly, then returned to work at WHO-TV. She has won five Emmy’s and multiple other awards.
She now faces up to one year in jail and a fine of $1,250. Her sentencing is set for Dec. 15.
A second WHO-TV reporter was arrested for first-offense OWI the same weekend as Heitshusen. Erik Wheater, 25, has since also pleaded guilty.