(UPDATE: Bay News 9 reporter Jason Lanning, whose 2009 arrest on charges of driving under the influence was covered by local media, challenged the charges and got prosecutors to drop the DUI portion.

Lanning pleaded no contest to reckless driving in connection with the incident, in which his car collided with the rear of a truck on June 17, 2009. He paid a $1,000 fine, served 50 hours of community service and had his case sealed from the public record.)

It's police blotter day in local media: Bay News 9 reporter Jason Lanning is expected to return to work Friday after his arrest Wednesday night on charges of driving under the influence.

See his entry on our Mug Shots site here.

Lanning, 30, was arrested on S Dale Mabry Highway at W Obispo Street at 11:58 p.m. Wednesday after an accident in which he struck the rear of a truck and hit several road signs, Tampa police said.

Police said he was driving north on Dale Mabry when he crashed into the rear of a truck; his vehicle then left the road and traveled several blocks north, striking several stop signs and other road signs, according to police.

Police said Lanning attempted to drive away after the accident, but his car was blocked by the other vehicle. He had an odor of alcohol on his breath and bloodshot/glassy eyes; field sobriety tests revealed additional signs of impairment, so he was arrested, the police report said.

Breathalyzer tests revealed a blood alcohol content of 0.047 and 0.044, about half the level where someone is presumed impaired, 0.08. But such tests would not reveal any other type of intoxication and Lanning did not provide a urine sample, according to the police report. He was released on $500 bail.

Officials at Bay News 9, which is a media partner of the Times, declined to comment on Lanning’s arrest, calling it an “internal personnel matter.” Lanning has worked as a reporter at the St. Petersburg-based cable news channel since 2003.