NEW YORK – A television news anchor who made headlines for sending photos of herself in a bikini to a married man at the NFL Network was arrested after she punched a police officer in the face, authorities said.
Emmy Award winner Alycia Lane hit the female officer in Manhattan about 2 a.m. Sunday, said police, who provided no information about what led to the incident. The officer was treated at a hospital for a cut and was released.
Lane, 35, was arraigned on a felony charge of assaulting a police officer and pleaded not guilty, said her lawyer, David Smith.
Lane co-anchors evening newscasts at KYW-TV, a CBS affiliate in Philadelphia. Station spokeswoman Joanne Calabria said management was "very concerned for Alycia."
"We are still trying to sort out exactly what happened," Calabria said in a statement.
Lane, who lives in Philadelphia, was released from police custody Sunday and was scheduled to appear in court in April, Smith said, adding that his client "denies striking anyone." Lane is originally from Long Island, east of New York City.
"We're confident that after a full investigation of the facts she'll be cleared of these charges," Smith said.
Lane made national headlines in May after she e-mailed vacation pictures of herself and friends wearing bikinis to NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen. The shots were intercepted by Eisen's wife, who responded with a snarky message to Lane.
Lane said the pictures were meant to be good fun between old friends, not an attempt to break up Eisen's marriage.
Besides Lane's Philadelphia news role, she also has hosted CBS 3's annual "Best of Philly" specials and its "Holiday Traditions" special, for which she won a local Emmy in 2005.
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