Frank Somerville, the former KTVU news anchor, was arrested Monday after an alleged assault during a dispute with his adult daughter, law enforcement records and Somerville’s own social-media posts show. The arrest is the fourth for Somerville in the last five years.
The Oakland Police Department told SFGate it is investigating a reported assault that occurred Monday just before 5:45 p.m. Officials did not identify the people involved. Alameda County Sheriff’s Office inmate records show Somerville was booked and later released on bail.
Somerville, 67, posted on Facebook describing the altercation and blaming his daughter. He wrote that she arrived at his home “in withdrawal” and was “haggling for money,” and called her a “full blown weed addict.” He said the two “got into a physical fight” as he tried “to tell her to calm down.” Somerville posted a photograph he said showed injuries he sustained during the incident.
According to Somerville’s post, his daughter fled the residence and he then called his ex-wife, who asked him to come to her house because she feared their daughter might try to hurt her. When Somerville arrived, he said, police were there after his daughter reported the fight. Somerville also wrote that his daughter told officers she did not want to press charges. He added that he was nine months sober and said he was “completely sober” at the time of the incident. "I love my daughter more than anything in the world. I would never deliberately try to hurt her. But bad things happen in battle. I can only hope my daughter gets treatment," he wrote.
Somerville, who anchored at KTVU in the San Francisco Bay Area for years, has in recent seasons been involved in several widely reported incidents linked to alcohol and erratic behavior. In 2021, he later acknowledged being intoxicated when he struck another driver while reportedly on a taco run. He has also drawn attention for appearing disoriented and slurring on a live broadcast, an episode he attributed to taking Ambien by mistake.
In June 2023, Somerville was arrested twice in one night. One arrest stemmed from a fight in which authorities said he assaulted his brother; later that same night he was taken into custody after being found in his car while appearing intoxicated. Those incidents occurred amid divorce proceedings; his then-wife filed to dissolve their marriage about a week after his first 2021 arrest.
The Oakland Police Department has not released further details about the Monday incident, including whether any charges have been filed. Alameda County booking records indicate Somerville was released on bail. Representatives for Somerville and any members of his family did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Somerville rose to prominence as an evening anchor in the Bay Area and remained a recognizable on-air figure until his departure from KTVU. His recent legal troubles have repeatedly drawn local and national media attention, and he has at times acknowledged struggles with alcohol and described efforts to pursue sobriety.
The investigation remains active. Any further action by prosecutors or additional statements from police or family members may clarify whether criminal charges will be pursued in the case.