Paula Lopez, primetime news anchor at Santa Barbara’s KCOY and KEYT, was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
She was booked at the Santa Barbara County Jail on Sunday night and was released on her own recognizance on Monday afternoon with bail set at $5,000.
According to the CHP report, the anchor was driving on the wrong side of the 101 freeway and assaulted a Santa Barbara County Sheriff Deputy and a CHP Officer during the arrest.
Even her own station reported on her arrest and tweeted about it. The KCOY/KEYT story says that station management “was aware of the incident but did not comment further.”
A well-known TV personality in the market, Paula co-anchors KCOY 12 Central Coast News at 5, 6, and 11 pm. She also co-anchors Fox 11 News at 10 pm. She has been with the station for almost 20 years.
KCOY12/Fox11 Anchor Arrested. Paula Lopez Jailed on DUI, Assault and Resisting Arrest Charges: http://t.co/p8aCY1o3VG pic.twitter.com/dlpTEXbPer
— Central Coast News (@KCOY) September 7, 2015
Two years ago, she went missing for several hours, prompting a police search after her family indicated she had a medical condition. After that incident, she admitted she was an alcoholic, who had been struggling with the disease. Months later, she was arrested for public intoxication.
In a statement at the time, she confessed:
“I have dealt with anxiety and depression for many years. Excessive self-medication is a fairly recent phenomenon for me. It has increased over time. I have had substantial periods of abstinence and sobriety. As can occur in the recovery process, I have also had failures and relapses.”