Fox 13 morning anchor Russell Rhodes won’t face DUI charge

Wayne Garcia — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:58:34 +0000

Rhodes, after a deputy beat the snot out of him shoved him to the ground during his arrest.

On his return to the air weeks after his arrest.

Rhodes, 50, was supposed to be tried today on charges tied to his Jan. 16 arrest. But the trial was continued until Wednesday because his attorney was awaiting transcripts from a previous hearing.

Now, instead of going to trial, Rhodes will plead no contest on Wednesday to a misdemeanor obstruction charge, defense attorney Jeff Brown said.

As part of the plea deal, Rhodes will serve 50 hours of community service. Adjudication will be withheld, meaning he will not have a conviction on his record.

Fox 13 morning anchor Russell Rhodes returns to the airwaves

Wayne Garcia — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:35:16 +0000

Russell Rhodes bore no evidence of the face-smashing he took from an off-duty Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy back in January when he made his first post-arrest appearance on Fox 13 this morning.

Rhodes made a brief apology for his “off-air” behavior, a Times blog reported, before resuming a normal broadcast.

“First up, I want to apologize for my recent off-air behavior,” Rhodes told his audience.

Russell Rhodes, as he looked this morning on his first return to Good Day Tampa Bay

A post-arrest Rhodes

The Political Whore » Russell Rhodes

Fox 13 morning anchor Russell Rhodes won’t face DUI charge

Fox 13 morning anchor Russell Rhodes returns to the airwaves