KUTV anchor Shauna Lake pleads guilty to impaired driving

KUTV anchor Shauna Lake pleads guilty to impaired driving

(Tyler Tate, T Squared Action Sports, File)


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MURRAY — KUTV news anchor Shauna Lake resolved a DUI case against her in court Tuesday.

Lake, who is listed in court documents as Shauna Lake Marshall, 46, of Holladay, admitted Tuesday to impaired driving, a class B misdemeanor, in place of the class B misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence she originally faced.

Standing slightly behind her attorney, Lake responded with a quiet "guilty" as Murray Justice Court Judge Paul Thompson asked for her plea.

Thompson confirmed that Lake's blood-alcohol level at the time of her arrest was .10 before suspending a 90-day jail sentence, ordering her instead to 12 months of probation. The legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.08.

Lake will be required to pay a fine of $1,460 and complete eight hours of community service, as well as a one-evening seminar put on by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Lake's attorney, Jim Bradshaw, said the weeks since her arrest have been painful for the longtime TV newswoman.

"Because of her position in the public she has had to endure a lot of criticism," Bradshaw said.

The experience also served as "a wake up" for Lake, he added, explaining that she has since completed an intensive outpatient treatment program.

Lake was arrested May 10 after a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled her over about 12:20 a.m. on I-215 near 1200 East.

The trooper reported smelling "the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle," according to a report, and said the driver's eyes were red and bloodshot. Lake failed a field sobriety test and was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. She was released an hour later.

The trooper also noted that Lake's license plate had been "canceled" and was registered to a black Land Rover, not a white one like she was driving.

A day after charges were filed, Lake returned to KUTV's newscasts and made an on-air apology, which she also shared on her professional Facebook page. In her tearful statement, Lake told viewers, "What I did was wrong, and I just hope that over time, night by night, you can learn to trust me again."

In exchange for Lake's plea, the remaining charges against her were dismissed, including using license plates registered to another vehicle, a class C misdemeanor; having an open container of alcohol on the highway, a class C misdemeanor; and no current registration, an infraction.

A review hearing in the case is set for Oct. 26.

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