Paula Lopez Replaced with New KCOY Evening Anchor
Later this month, TV reporter Melissa Mahan will replace former evening anchor and local celebrity Paula Lopez on KCOY 12 Central Coast News.
In September, Lopez, 50, was arrested for DUI and battery on a peace officer after she allegedly drove the wrong way on Highway 101, and then resisted arrest, kicking two CHP officers after they pulled her over in the Sandpiper Golf Course parking lot. Lopez was released on her own recognizance the day after her arrest because, among several reasons, she had ties to the community, according to Sheriff’s officials. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
Lopez’s name no longer appears on the staff list on the station’s website; station general manager Mark Danielson declined to comment.
Mahan, who graduated from UCSB in 2002, got her start on KEYT, KCOY’s affiliate, producing “Friday Football Focus.” She has worked since then in a number of cities, including Providence, Albuquerque, and Boston. Mahan will co-anchor KCOY 12 at 5, 6, and 11 p.m. on weeknights and KCOY’s affiliate KKFX Fox 11 at 10 p.m. on weeknights.
“After working at TV stations across the country, I can honestly say there is no place I would rather call home,” Mahan said in a statement. Danielson said in a statement he looks forward to Mahan becoming part of the KCOY-KKFX family.
