Deputy arrests Fox 13 anchor after a scuffle

TAMPA — Fox 13's Good Day Tampa Bay morning news anchor Russell Rhodes was arrested Friday night, charged with obstructing an officer without violence in a Channelside public parking garage.

Around 10:15 p.m., an off-duty deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spotted a 2006 BMW 325i driving recklessly in the garage, said sheriff's spokesman J.D. Callaway.

The deputy stopped the car, and the driver, Rhodes, got out with his belt undone and his pants unbuttoned, though they were still up. Rhodes appeared to be intoxicated, Callaway said.

According to the deputy, Rhodes tried to walk away twice after being ordered to stay put and surrender his car keys. When Rhodes tried to run out of the garage, the deputy grabbed him, Callaway said.

"He began to flail his arms," Callaway said. That's when he was "taken to the ground." Rhodes appeared to have injuries to his face, which Callaway said happened when Rhodes hit the ground.

Rhodes was taken to Tampa General Hospital for cuts and bruises and then was booked into the Orient Road Jail, Callaway said. He was released Saturday morning on $500 bail.

Blood samples were taken and the results should be back next week, Callaway said.

Rhodes, who is from Paris, Texas, has been with Tampa Bay's Fox station since 1994, according to his biography on the Fox Web site.

"He will not be on the air Monday," said Jessica Moss, a spokeswoman for Fox 13. An article on the station's Web site says, "FOX 13 management is aware of the matter and is reviewing it."