Anchorman Star Arrested For Suspected Drunk Driving
Well, this isn't good.
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Newly-released bodycam footage from the Ohio State Highway Patrol shows some pretty damning behavior from one of the stars of Anchorman and The Office, that led to his eventual arrest for alleged drunk driving. David Koechner was arrested early in the morning on Saturday, June 4 after officers suspected he was driving drunk, according to Entertainment Weekly. Koechner is best known for his roles as Champ Kind in the Anchorman movies and as Ted Packer on the hit NBC series The Office.
Koechner was initially pulled over by highway patrol for lane violations just before 2:00 a.m. that Saturday in Lawrence County. In the footage, a second responding officer is briefed by the officer that pulled Koechner over. The first officer remarked that Koechner’s eyes were glossy and he could smell alcohol on him. The second officer can be heard remarking about the smell of alcohol as he approached the car. “Oh God, I can smell it from here,” the officer says, just before they questioned the 59-year-old actor. He told officers that he was driving from the airport in Cincinnati, Ohio to Huntington, West Virginia, for the Huntington Comic Con. When asked how much he had been drinking, David Koechner tells the officers that he had only had one beer prior to getting in the car. He seems a bit distracted while answering questions, but once he is asked to step out of the car and take a field sobriety test, it is clear something is not right.
After struggling to stand up straight during the sobriety test, David Koechner was placed under arrest. WSAZ in Huntington, West Virginia reports that the arrest record noted he was “OVI,” which means he was allegedly operating a vehicle while impaired, usually by alcohol and/or drugs. He also refused to be tested for blood-alcohol concentration. He was eventually charged on three counts: driving while impaired, refusal to submit for a breathalyzer or urine sample, and driving on a suspended license. He could spend up to six months in prison if found guilty on all charges. He will have to appear in Lawrence Municipal Court on July 8 for his hearing.
Incredibly, David Koechner was released on a bench warrant a few hours later, according to TMZ, and ended up appearing later that morning at the Huntington Comic Con he was driving to. In a Facebook post on the Huntington Comic and Toy Convention Facebook page, Koechner can be seen in a video message for attendees, inviting them to come, appearing fine despite his arrest less than 12 hours earlier. It is not clear if attendees or convention organizers were aware of his arrest. It is also not clear how he got to the convention from the police station after his release.
In addition to his roles in Anchorman and The Office, David Koechner has a pretty extensive career in TV and film. His other credits include Get Smart, The Goldbergs, and ironically, four episodes of Comedy Central’s Drunk History. He also has done voice work in American Dad, the Captain Underpants series, and The Regular Show. On New Year’s Eve, David Koechner was arrested on a DUI charge after he hit a street sign in Simi Valley, California. He is currently estranged from his wife, who asked the divorce court to suspend his visitation rights with his children after his first DUI arrest. At the time, he told the court he was in AA and would never put his children in danger with his driving.
