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DUI Charge Filed Against Channel 13 Anchor Rhodes

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By RAY REYES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2009

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Russell Rhodes

Russell Rhodes, the WTVT Channel 13 morning news anchor who got into a scuffle with deputies last month in a Channelside parking garage, now faces charges of driving under the influence and resisting arrest without violence.

The charges, both misdemeanors, were filed this week by the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office, Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi said.

Prosecutors filed the DUI charge after Rhodes' blood alcohol level showed he was impaired on the night of the Jan. 16 incident, Bondi said. The state attorney's office has not released Rhodes' blood alcohol level because defense attorneys have not yet received the test results, Bondi said.

Florida law presumes impairment at a level of 0.08.

Rhodes was arrested Jan. 16 and charged with obstructing or opposing an officer without violence after trying to run from an off-duty deputy in the Channelside parking garage, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.

He was arraigned Wednesday on that charge, online court records show.

Deputies say that at 10:15 p.m. on Jan. 16, Rhodes was driving recklessly in his 2006 BMW 325i through the garage at 810 Channelside Drive. When an off-duty deputy stopped Rhodes and tried to take the BMW's key away from him, Rhodes refused, sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway said.

Because Rhodes jerked his hand away from the deputy in an attempt to prevent him from taking the key, the deputy took Rhodes to the ground and handcuffed him, Callaway said. Rhodes has obvious scrapes on his face in his booking mugshot.

After being handcuffed, Rhodes apologized, according to an arrest affidavit.

WTVT is owned by the Fox Broadcasting Corp., a division of News Corp. A Fox spokeswoman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Reporter Ray Reyes can be reached at (813) 259-7920.

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