Emmy-Winning Bay Area Anchor Charged With Assaulting Girlfriend And Her Daughter: Reports

BERKELEY, CA — The legal woes continue to mount for former KTVU anchor Frank Somerville. Just a week after he was arrested in connection with a battery involving his 20-year-old daughter, a criminal complaint was filed alleging that he punched his girlfriend and her daughter in November 2024.

According to the complaint, which was reviewed by The San Francisco Chronicle, SFGate, and the Bay Area News Group, Somerville is accused of lunging at his girlfriend Elaine Coleman and wrestling her to the ground at their home in Oakland on Nov. 19, 2024. When Coleman’s daughter Madeline tried to intervene, Somerville allegedly punched her, grabbed her hair, and pulled her to the ground, according to court records. Police said in the filings that Somerville was “inebriated” and “experiencing a mental health episode.”

Coleman also alleges that Somerville verbally abused her, sent her excessively long text messages, and tried to “inflict bodily harm” on multiple occasions.

Both Coleman and Gordon obtained temporary restraining orders against Somerville, though Coleman told The San Francisco Chronicle that she chose not to pursue a permanent restraining order because she did not feel he represented an “ongoing threat.” It is not clear whether Gordon chose to pursue a permanent restraining order.

Shannon Dugan, Somerville’s attorney, told The Bay Area News Group that her client is “ashamed and embarrassed and feels terrible about the incident.” She said that following the incident, Somerville entered a three-month inpatient rehab program, and has been working on his sobriety ever since.

“He’s actively dealing with the underlying issues that led to the incident,” she said.
On Sept. 15, 2025, Somerville was arrested on suspicion of battery following an altercation with his 20-year-old daughter. According to a report in The Chronicle, Somerville is accused of attacking his daughter over a money dispute. He allegedly held her by the neck so tightly that she nearly lost consciousness, though he told police he was simply trying to restrain her, The Chronicle reported.

He was released on bail, and no charges have been filed as of Oct. 3.

Somerville posted a photo on Facebook of himself with a bloodied face, and blamed his daughter for the confrontation. He claimed that she came to his home uninvited, resulting in a physical fight after she “refused to leave.”

He said that he went to his ex-wife’s home, where Callie lives, and by the time he got there, his daughter had called the police.

“I love my daughter more than anything in the world,” he wrote. “I would never deliberately try to hurt her. But bad things happen in battle. I can only hope my daughter gets treatment.”

Somerville, 67, spent three decades as an anchor for KTVU, and was eventually named co-anchor of the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts. He received three Emmy Awards during his tenure, including best on-camera news anchor. In June 2021, he took a leave of absence from KTVU following an incident in which he appeared dazed and slurred his words on-air, which he later said was due to taking Ambien accidentally.

Following his departure in September 2021, Somerville faced a string of legal troubles. In December 2021, he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, resulting in a car crash in downtown Oakland. In June 2023, he was arrested twice in one night. He allegedly got into a fight with his brother in Berkeley, and was taken to jail for several hours. After he returned, he was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, a violation of his probation.

He took a plea deal and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

In December 2023, he admitted to being an alcoholic in an interview with KRON4, and said he had started attending five AA meetings per week.

SEE ALSO:

• Emmy-Winning Bay Area News Anchor Arrested: Reports
• Former Bay Area News Anchor Arrested Again