Yet another troubling development involving former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville, as we’re learning of a November 2024 incident over which he’s now charged with battery, and the story sure is similar to what got him arrested again last month.
We really want to root for former KTVU news desk anchor Frank Somerville, who’s been in recovery from alcoholism after some deeply embarrassing incidents where he was slurring his words on the air, seemingly was fired from KTVU, racked up a couple DUIs, and was sometimes arrested multiple times in a single evening. But some recent developments make it very difficult to root for him.
While Somerville says he’s now nine months sober, and we do want to take him at his word on that, his disturbing streak continued when he was arrested for battery on September 15 in what appeared to be a physical alteration with his daughter. Even if he’s sober, that’s pretty problematic.
Somerville has not been charged over that incident. But just three days after that happened, the Chronicle unearthed the detail that Somerville had been arrested for battery on November 19, 2024, which had not been previously reported. And on Wednesday, the Chronicle reported that Somerville has been charged with misdemeanor battery by the Alameda County District Attorney over that November 2024 incident.
Per the Chronicle, Somerville’s partner Elaine Colman “told police he had been drinking all day and that at one point she believed he was suffering a mental health episode. She started recording him, but he noticed. He allegedly lunged at her and wrestled her to the ground.”
The Chron adds that Somerville alleged punched both Colman and their daughter on that day.
When reached by the Chronicle, Somerville seemed penitent, and said this happened before he went into recovery. “That’s all my fault, because I was drunk,” he told the paper, saying this was the last straw that actually pushed him to stop drinking. “I have and I am continuing to put in the work,” he added.
Both Colman and the daughter reportedly pursued restraining orders or stay-away orders after this November 2024 incident, though both apparently dropped those requests, perhaps satisfied that Somerville had gone into recovery. But the Chronicle notes that the daughter’s stay-away order application said that Somerville allegedly “pushed me into the TV, pulled my hair and punched me in the face,” and he “tried holding me down by putting force on my neck.”
Somerville’s first court appearance over these charges is scheduled for October 6.
Image: Frank Somerville via Facebook
