WKYC meteorologist Hollie Strano said she has been on a “journey” after getting arrested for driving while intoxicated last Thanksgiving.
On Facebook, she said she’s deeply remorseful and has spent many hours sitting in her grandpa’s old chair “thinking, crying, reflecting” about what happened. Strano has been off the air since the arrest.
“As tragic as it was and as cliché as it may sound, I believe that had to happen to me to put me on this healing journey of sobriety and introspection,” she wrote. “Sometimes we have to make mistakes that are so big that we can’t go back.”
Strano said before the incident she was living in denial about her struggles with sobriety.
“I’ve embarked on a journey and I am grateful for the people that are working closely with me on my healing and recovery, and each of you,” she wrote. “The outpouring of text messages and cards sent directly to my home. Thank you. I’ll never forget and I know who each of you are.
She was ordered to pay a fine of $375 and attend a six-day driver intervention program. Her license was suspended for a year, but she’s eligible for work-related driving privileges.
The Akron Beacon Journal said on November 23, Cuyahoga Falls police were alerted to a possible intoxicated driver around 7:30 p.m. and found Strano driving erratically. The officer said he began following her as she reached 70 mph in a 35 mph zone. Police said Strano had a blood alcohol level of 0.244%, more than three times the legal limit of 0.08%.
A dashcam video released by the department showed the vehicle going over the center line before gradually veering the opposite direction and driving off the right side of the road and hitting a utility pole.
Strano has been with Cleveland’s NBC affiliate for more than 20 years.