California Anchor Busted in Domestic Violence Incident
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KBAK (Bakersfield) Anchor Kurt Rivera was arrested Sunday evening after deputies responded to an alarm call of a woman screaming she was being assaulted at a home in east Bakersfield, according to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrived at the scene and contacted Rivera and 36-year-old Mandy Morrow, who live together at the residence.
Deputies said Rivera and Morrow had physically assaulted each other, and Morrow told them Rivera then damaged the alarm keypad to prevent her from calling law enforcement. She said he also refused to allow her to leave the home.
Rivera was arrested for battery and false imprisonment and on suspicion of damaging a communication device to prevent a person from calling law enforcement for assistance.
Morrow was arrested on suspicion of spousal battery, and both were booked into the downtown jail.
Rivera and Morrow were not listed as current jail inmates Monday afternoon.
Rivera joined KBAK Eyewitness News in June 2004 after working as an anchor/reporter at KGET Channel 17 in Bakersfield, according to his online bio. He began his journalism career as a news photographer at KESQ-TV in Palm Springs before joining KERO-TV in Bakersfield the following year.
Teresa Burgess, vice president and general manager of KBAK, did not return a call seeking comment. A message left at a phone number believed to be Rivera’s was not returned.
