Veteran Fox-5 news anchor Amanda Davis posed for the mugshot above after she was arrested last November and charged with DUI.
[READ: Mugshot Mania: Atlanta News Reporter Busted for DUI (Again)]
Davis has been a staple of WAGA-TV Fox-5’s newscast for over 25 years, but hasn’t been on air since her brush with the law.
The 56 year old anchorwoman made a huge impact during her years at the station, often participating in community activism and events, and her popular ‘Wednesday’s Child’ segment graciously highlighted Atlanta area children who were in need of permanent adoptive families.
[FLASHBACK: Phaedra Parks Mentors Aspiring Youth on Amanda Davis’ ‘Wednesday’s Child’ (VIDEO)]
While many have called for Davis’ termination from her high-profile anchor position since her DUI, she will finally have an opportunity to address her viewing public.
Her case has not gone before a judge, The case in January moved from Atlanta Municipal Court to Fulton County State Court. The last I had checked, there has been no date set for trial. ?At the time,?William Head, Davis’ attorney, said the case would take longer in Fulton County. Indeed, that has been the case.
Davis, who has been with WAGA-TV since 1986 when it was a CBS affiliate, has been off the air since the November 11 wrong-way crash on Piedmont Ave. in Midtown. She was arrested for charges of reckless driving and driving under the influence. She was arrested for a DUI charge more than 20 years ago as well.
In a series of teaser announcements aired yesterday during American Idol, Davis’ Fox-5 co-anchor, Russ Spencer, revealed that Davis ?has a “special message” for viewers and she once again will hit the airwaves tonight (Thursday April 25, 2013) at 10pm to speak to the public.
No word yet on what exactly she has to say, but I suspect it will be her voluntary departure from the station via resignation or retirement (she’s been employed there for over 25 years).
On the other hand, theAJC’s Rodney Ho feels the announcement may be ‘a sweet, gentle, non-specific message, perhaps an apology for what she did’.
Stay tuned…
What do you think Amanda Davis will reveal in her ‘special announcement’ tonight?
(Place your bets now!)
** Updated: 4/26/13 12:30am ** It seems everyone had pretty much the same guess that Amanda Davis would announce her retirement, but since this is my site, I’ll take the credit 😆
VIDEO: Amanda Davis Announces Retirement
According to Rodney Ho of the AJC, Davis hit the airwaves at 10pm last night to state the following:
“There have been awards, honors and accolades. There have also been challenges, disappointments and stumbles,” Davis told the audience at 10:14 p.m.
Then paraphrasing Psalm 23:4, she said, “Yea, though I have walked through the valley, with God’s help, I made it through. And that’s what I want you to know. I am blessed. So it’s with a heavy heart that I announce now that I am officially retiring from Fox 5 as I look ahead to a new chapter in my life.”
During Davis’ ‘special message’ co-anchor Russ Spencer ( who she called “My TV husband”) and meteorologist Ken Cook (who she referred to as “Cookie”), both long-time Fox 5 veterans as well, came up to her and? offered their own accolades.
“We want to thank you for what you meant to us,” Spencer said. “We hope you know how much we love and appreciate you.”
In honoring Davis’ departure, Fox-5 aired tributes from retired Channel 2 Action News anchor Monica Pearson (who retired from Atlanta airwaves Feb. 2012 after 37 years on air), former Atlanta mayor and U.N. ambassador Andrew Young and current V-103 morning host Ryan Cameron.? They also aired highlights of Davis’ time on the station which included her coverage of Coretta Scott King’s funeral, an interview with Pres. Barack Obama and her work with Wednesday’s Child, a weekly Fox 5 feature that helped place foster children into adopted homes.