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KUTV news anchor Shauna Lake was arrested early Wednesday on suspicion of driving drunk.
The longtime anchor was arrested following a field sobriety test and formal charges are pending, another anchor, Mark Koelbel, said on a KUTV newscast Wednesday night. Lake anchors alongside Koelbel, who appeared to tear up on the air. He said results of a blood test would take two to three weeks.
Lake was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of DUI, having an open container in a vehicle on a highway, using license plates registered to another vehicle and failure to register or expired vehicle registration, according to a probable cause statement.
At 12:18 a.m. Wednesday, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper noticed Lake driving slower than the speed limit in the far left lane of Interstate 215 heading south, near 1200 East. The trooper stopped the 2011 Land Rover she was driving after running the registration plate, which came up as canceled, according to the statement.
Lake had a clear cup with a straw in the center console that the trooper said "smelled like an alcoholic beverage."
Lake reportedly told the trooper she had "two sips" of alcohol before driving. The trooper wrote Lake failed the field sobriety test and refused a preliminary breath test. She requested a chemical blood test, he wrote.
Lake joined the station in 1994 as a morning anchor. She began her broadcast career anchoring the college station at BYU.
Mike Garber, KUTV's news director, said: "We do not comment on personnel matters."
Editor's note • The Salt Lake Tribune is a content partner with KUTV.
Twitter: @lramseth