Former Anchor Says Mental Health Issues Drove Him to Drink

Former KUTV (San Francisco) Anchor Frank Somerville was arrested for DUI, shortly after he was let go from the station.

He posted about his arrest and what drove him to drink.

Here’s his post:

So it was almost a year ago that I was arrested for a dui.

I had already been let go by KTVU over a disagreement.

The dui had no bearing on that.

What it was was an accumulation of a lot of different things.

Including serious mental health issues.

I couldn’t leave work at work.

Instead I took it home and obsessed about it.

It started with me going to seven funerals for young black men and women who were killed on the streets on Oakland.

I went on my own time and

It was devastating.

Seeing the open caskets.

Hugging the mom of one of the victims and feeling her legs buckle as she said “I don’t know how I can move on.”

I also went to the viewings for a Bart police officer and a Fremont officer on my own time.

It destroyed me seeing the flag draped coffins and their boots sitting next to them.

The problem was I didn’t feel I had anywhere to go or anyone to talk to.

Yet I felt it was my duty to be at all those funerals to let people know that I cared and that KTVU cared.

And also to be able to post about it on my Facebook page because I didn’t want those Oakland deaths to reported as just another number.

I wanted people to know that they had a mom and a dad etc..

But over time I realized that I felt like I was under a pall of sadness.

I felt like I had ptsd

And I really needed someone to talk to.

But the last thing I was going to do was tell the station that I was hurting.

Main anchors don’t do that.

So I tried to deal with it on my own.

Prescription drugs. Alcohol.

It was the worst decision I ever made but I felt that I had no other choice.

I literally felt helpless.

I also felt who am I to feel sorry for myself?

I didn’t lose anyone

It’s the families who deserve sympathy.

Not me.

I was just totally stuck.

For the record as messed up as I was I didn’t drink on the air.

The time I was sent home for being drunk on the air I had actually taken two ambian by accident.

How I even made it home that night is beyond me.

Skip forward to today.

I’m almost done with all the dui requirements.

It’s cost a fortune.

But that’s my punishment.

I can only hope that another station will hire me.

I’m a damn good anchor and everyone knows that.

At the same time I made some serious mistakes.

But those are behind me now.

I’ve NEVER been in trouble with the law and I never will be again.

This dui will not define me.

I’ve always believed in second chances and that’s what I’m asking for now.

I also want to say sorry to all my co workers and all the viewers.

I never had a chance to say goodbye and for that I’m sorry.

Peace

F