WFTS GM Won't Go to Jail But Won't Run Station
WFTS Tampa general manager William Carey has resigned in the wake of charges against him for crashing a woman’s car and then grabbing her neck, reports the Tampa Tribune. The woman, Ok Yi, will not press charges from the September incident after reaching a settlement with Carey. WFTS reported on its 6 p.m. news that Carey is nonetheless stepping down.
The police had initially charged Carey with burglary with assault or battery and leaving the scene of a crash.
According to the Tribune:
Yi told police she was driving on Memorial Highway when her Mercedes was rear-ended by a Ford Explorer. Yi followed the Ford for about a mile, honking her horn until Carey pulled over, Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said in September.
Carey approached Yi’s car and handed her his driver’s license through her car window. When Yi told Carey she wanted to call police, he reached through the window and tried to get his license back, Davis said.
Carey grabbed Yi’s arms and tried to pull her through the window when he couldn’t get his license, but he was unable to because Yi had her seatbelt on, Davis said.
"While speaking with the victim, the suspect became belligerent and grabbed the victim by the neck," the police report said.
Davis said Yi then ran down the highway. Carey chased her for a bit before returning to his car.
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Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.