Salt Lake City Anchor Pleads "Guilty"

Back in May, FTVLive told you that KUTV Anchor Shauna Lake was busted for DUI.

The driver had "red, bloodshot eyes," the trooper that arrested her wrote in a report.  The trooper said that a clear plastic cup with a straw sticking out was visible on the center console of the vehicle. Lake said the cup was empty and handed it to the trooper.

"I smelled the liquid which was in the cup and it smelled like an alcoholic beverage," the report states.

Lake said she had taken two sips of an alcoholic drink prior to driving and later said the clear cup contained beer, which she had split with another person, according to the report.

Lake went to court this week and seemed to admit that she had more than a couple of sips. 

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.

H/T Desert News