Home Scandal and Gossip WFLA Tampa news anchor assaults 6 month pregnant woman (after refusing kiss)

WFLA Tampa news anchor assaults 6 month pregnant woman (after refusing kiss)

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Marco Villareal
Pictured, WFLA Chanel 8 TV news anchor, Marco Villareal.
Marco Villareal
Pictured, WFLA Chanel 8 TV news anchor, Marco Villareal.

WFLA Chanel 8 TV news anchor, Marco Villareal arrested after assaulting 6 month pregnant woman after refusing his kiss at his Cory Lake Isles, Florida home.

A television news anchor in Florida has been arrested after allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman at his home over the weekend.

Marco Aurelio Villareal, a 37-year-old morning anchor for WFLA Chanel 8 in Tampa, was busted at his home in the city’s Cory Lake Isles neighborhood late Sunday after cops responded to the residence and found the alleged victim ‘very upset’ and emotional while speaking to officers, police said.

The woman, who was six months pregnant, had no visible signs of injuries and denied medical attention at the scene. There were also no signs of any struggle inside the residence, where detectives also interviewed the victim’s two children over the alleged domestic dispute, police said.

According to an arrest report, Marco Villareal tried to kiss the woman, who is six months pregnant, while she was trying to make dinner and refused his advances. Villareal became angry and when the woman walked away, he slammed her against a wall.

Marco Villareal
Marco Villareal police bookings via Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Marco Villareal not set to return to TV news anchor duties at WFLA Tampa (yet): 

Villareal, who wasn’t home when cops responded to the residence, returned once reached by investigators on his cellphone. An officer then met him in the driveway, where investigators photographed him but found no visible signs of injuries, police said.

Villareal, who only had his cellphone, wallet and keys on him at the time, was then arrested after refusing to complete a written statement regarding the alleged incident. The victim did submit a written statement to responding officers, police said.

Villareal, a Houston native has been released from custody on a charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman after posting $7,500 bond, jail records show.

WFLA station officials said in a statement on its website that Villareal will not return to its newscast until ‘an investigation of the charges’ has been completed.

‘WFLA will have no additional comment at this time,’ the statement noted.

Villarreal has worked for the station since December 2016, the Tampa Bay Times reported. He has previously worked at WRCB in Tennessee, WTXL in Florida and KTNV in Las Vegas, according to his biography on the station’s website.

Not immediately clear was Villareal’s relationship with the pregnant woman- whose identity wasn’t disclosed. Also not clear is why the TV personality attacked the pregnant woman.

Come Tuesday, Villareal’s Facebook page was no longer active. Can you guess why?

Marco Villareal
Marco Villareal creating and living his own TV drama.
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