Former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville has been charged with driving with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit.
The Alameda County District Attorney charged Somerville with three misdemeanors. The charges stem from a December wreck in downtown Oakland.
Somerville is facing two counts for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood level alcohol concentration of .08 or more, along with an enhancement for having a blood alcohol concentration that exceeds .15.
The San Francisco Chronicle said a probable cause declaration shows Somerville was driving a 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo when he rear-ended a silver Audi. When the driver of the Audi got out of his car after the crash, Somerville allegedly kept driving, pushing the Audi through the intersection until it collided with a pole at the southwest corner.
When officers approached Somerville, “he exhibited symptoms of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage: bloodshot/watey eyes, thick/slurred speech, and odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person,” the declaration said.
“Mr. Somerville takes these charges very seriously,” his attorney, Shannan Dugan, told The Chronicle.
“He has been taking steps to address the circumstances that led to this case, including attending meetings and working on himself so that nothing like this ever happens again,” said Dugan. “He is extremely sorry to the person he hit and has provided all information to his insurance company to cover the other driver’s losses.”