A former Bay Area television anchor is under investigation after an alleged violent confrontation with his daughter at his North Oakland home, authorities said. Frank Somerville, 67, was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County on Monday evening after reportedly tackling his daughter to the ground and gripping her neck tightly enough to make her nearly pass out, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
The incident began around 5:45 p.m. Monday, when 20-year-old Callie Somerville arrived at her father's residence upset that her bank account was overdrawn, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Somerville told police he asked her to leave, and when she refused and grabbed his phone, he restrained her in an attempt to get it back. He said she punched and scratched him during the struggle, at which point he brought her to the floor and placed one hand on her neck and another over her mouth to keep her from screaming. Callie, a licensed security guard, told officers that her father was the aggressor, and that she only scratched him in self-defense. Callie eventually fled to her mother's home, also in North Oakland, where she called 911. Officers responding to the scene reported finding her in her car with blood on her shirt and welts on her neck. Somerville arrived shortly afterward in his Porsche with cuts and bruises on his arms and torso. While he initially declined to press charges, Somerville changed his mind after learning that his daughter had filed a felony battery complaint against him. Callie was not arrested.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case and has not yet determined whether formal charges will be filed. Somerville’s attorney, Shannan Dugan, said she hoped the matter could be resolved privately. “I know he loves his daughter and I’m sure that his daughter loves him,” Dugan said.
Somerville’s latest legal trouble comes amid a pattern of alcohol-related incidents that have punctuated his public career. In June 2023, he was arrested twice within nine hours in Berkeley after confrontations with relatives at a residence there. He was cuffed at about 6:36 p.m. on the first incident and reappeared early the next morning to face another arrest stemming from a wrestling match with a male family member at 3:26 a.m. Earlier, in December 2021, he crashed his Porsche into another car near Oakland’s Uptown district. Police said he rear-ended the other driver, who was hospitalized, and Somerville was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. A breathalyzer showed a blood alcohol level of .24, three times the legal limit. Somerville pleaded no contest to the DUI charge in August 2022 and was ordered to attend DUI classes, receiving a three-year probation that ended this year.
A month after the Porsche crash, KTVU let his contract expire, ending a 31-year career with the FOX-affiliated station. The broadcaster had been suspended twice in 2021—once for slurring his words during a newscast and again for a dispute with producers over how to cover the Gabby Petito case in September of that year. Somerville, who has a Black daughter, was known for his long tenure at KTVU and his prominence in Bay Area news before facing a string of legal and personal challenges.
The case remains active, with prosecutors weighing whether to file charges as investigators collect additional statements and evidence. The family’s representatives have not provided additional details beyond the statements already released, and no new court dates have been announced.