OAKLAND — Days after he was arrested on suspicion of attacking his daughter, the Emmy-winning former KTVU news anchor Frank Somerville has been charged with a misdemeanor for an incident that happened last year, court records show.
Somerville, 67, was charged with a single misdemeanor battery count against “Jane Doe 2,” stemming from a Nov. 19, 2024, incident in which he allegedly punched his girlfriend and her adult daughter during an altercation in their Oakland home. Police said in court filings Somerville was “inebriated” and “experiencing a mental health episode” then got angry and punched his girlfriend when she began to film him.
His girlfriend’s daughter, “observed her mother get struck by (Somerville) and then proceeded to defend (her mother),” police said in court filings, adding the two were able to get “(Somerville) out of their home, lock the door, and wait for police to arrive.”
Somerville’s girlfriend, who is still with him, pursued a restraining order over the incident, which also accuses Somerville of “periodic verbal assault, accusations, swearing, yelling, frequently excessive long texts.” In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, she said she stopped pursuing the restraining order after Somerville sought help for alcohol addiction and didn’t see him as a continuing threat to her safety.
For his part, Somerville told the Chronicle he was “completely drunk off my (expletive)” and “ashamed” as he looks back on that part of his life after going through rehab.
“I feel guilty. I’ve apologized to everyone. It’s horrible, and it’s all me,” Somerville told the Chronicle. “I’m a totally different person now. I’m not a bad guy. I did a lot of bad (expletive), though, and that was one of the cases, but all I can say is I’m clean now, right?”
Somerville is set to appear in court on Oct. 6, records show. The charge was filed on Sept. 22.
Alameda County prosecutors filed the case barely a week after Somerville was arrested on the 1000 block of Arlington Avenue, in Oakland, on suspicion of battering his daughter with force that could produce great bodily injury.
In an interview with the Bay Area News Group after his arrest, Somerville said he got into a “fight” with his 20-year-old daughter over money, and that he tried to restrain her when she became “out of control.”
No charges have been filed against Somerville in that incident, court records show.
It marked the latest in a string of troubles for Somerville, who replaced 40-year veteran Dennis Richmond when he was named co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts in 2008.
In June 2023, Somerville was arrested twice in a nine-hour period after multiple confrontations with family members at a residence in Berkeley. Officials said they suspected he was intoxicated in both of those incidents.
He pleaded no contest last year to alcohol-related reckless driving in a plea deal that dismissed most of the charges he racked up during disputes with family members, court records show.
In December 2021, he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Oakland following a crash. His blood alcohol level was .24, or three times the legal limit, court documents showed. Somerville pleaded no contest to the DUI charge in August 2022 and was ordered to attend DUI classes and given three years probation, ending in August 2025.
KTVU suspended him twice in 2021, once for slurring and stumbling over his words in a newscast. The station let his contract expire in January 2022, ending his 31-year affiliation with the station.
Since then, Somerville has been open about his battle with alcohol and his efforts to stay sober, posting often on social media about his time in a rehabilitation center. He said in a September interview that he’s been sober for nine months.
Staff writers Harry Harris and Rick Hurd contributed reporting