Marco Villareal, a morning anchor on Tampa TV station WFLA since 2016, was arrested on Sunday, March 24 and charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant woman.
An arrest report says that the 37-year-old was taken into custody just before 8 p.m. at his home in the Cory Lake Isles neighborhood in New Tampa. He was released on Monday night after posting $7,500 bail.
WFLA, for its part, said that Villareal will not appear on air until the allegations are investigated.
The arrest report says that Villareal tried to kiss the woman, whose relationship to the anchor was not disclosed, while she was making dinner. The woman, who is six months pregnant, refused, which irked him. She walked away, and that’s when the report says he slammed her against the wall.
Two other children were at home during the incident, and the woman did not complain of any injuries. She also denied medical treatment.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, then please utilize hotline.org or call 1−800−799−7233 (TTY 1−800−787−3224).
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This article appears in Mar 21-28, 2019.