SALT LAKE CITY — New court documents explain what led police officers to stop and cite KUTV news anchor Shauna Lake with DUI last month at the Salt Lake City International Airport.
Lake, who is listed in court documents as Shauna Lake Marshall, 49, of Holladay, is charged in Salt Lake City Justice Court with driving under the influence of alcohol, a class B misdemeanor.
Her attorney, Scott Williams, entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client on March 24, according to court records. A pretrial conference is scheduled for July 9.
Lake was issued the DUI citation on March 14 after she was spotted driving her car to the pickup area of the airport terminal.
“Shauna then exited her car and got into the back seat. As she exited her car, she was observed having difficulty maintaining her balance. Shauna was then observed getting into the passenger side and waiting. Shauna then got out of the car and returned to the driver’s seat,” according to a search warrant affidavit filed in 3rd District Court.
As Lake attempted to drive again, she was stopped by an airport employee “to prevent her from driving because he was concerned she was impaired,” the affidavit states.
A Salt Lake police officer was called to the scene to handle the investigation. The officer had Lake walk to a more private area inside the airport, according to the warrant.
“I observed that Shauna was not able to maintain her balance as she walked. Shauna staggered from side to side as she walked inside. Once inside, I smelled a odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath. Shauna was also speaking with slurred speech and had bloodshot, watery eyes,” the officer wrote in the affidavit.
Lake declined field sobriety tests, according to police. The warrant was written to obtain blood for testing. Those results were not available on Monday.
In a statement to the Deseret News, Williams noted that no evidence in the case has been received yet, including results from the Utah State Crime Lab.
“Search warrant affidavits are common and are biased and present only potentially incriminating facts from an officer’s point of view, and none of the facts that might suggest innocence. Further, the warrant was to get potential evidence, and such evidence might ultimately favor the defendant in a case,” he said.
Lake was given a citation and released to a person who was able to drive her home.
In 2017, Lake pleaded guilty to impaired driving, a class B misdemeanor, after being pulled over on I-215 near 1200 East by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper. She was originally charged with driving under the influence. In exchange for her plea, other charges, including having an open container of alcohol on the highway, were dismissed.
Her blood alcohol level at that time was .10%. The legal limit at the time was .08% but is now .05%.
Lake was sentenced to 12 months of a probation, was required to pay a fine of $1,460 and complete eight hours of community service, as well as a one-evening seminar put on by Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Her attorney at the time said she had also completed an intensive outpatient treatment program.
Lake made a tearful on-air apology to viewers after that arrest.