Annie Stensrud of KEYC-TV in Mankato nabbed for DWI

Annie Stensrud -- Mankato, Minnesota's favorite nationally-known newscaster -- is back in the news again. After her early-December slurred speech newscast, the KEYC-TV weekend anchor has been off the air. But this morning she made headlines again in Mankato by being arrested for a probable cause DWI near her North Mankato home by Nicollet County authorities.



When, just weeks after a newscast that went viral due to her apparent drunk performance, you land  yourself in the pages of the local newspaper for doing something (drinking and driving) which you adamantly denied in a statement released by your employer (being drunk at work), there is the makings of a pattern.

Annie Stensrud obviously has a problem. Maybe she has had a relationship turn sour and is using alcohol as a coping mechanism. Maybe there has been a death in the family which has hit her particularly hard.

Whatever the case, her original excuse of a reaction to cold medication doesn't seem to hold up given today's DWI arrest.

Maybe there's something more to the story. Check out her reporting reel/resume below and witness just how strong of a reporter she was in her days working for KAAL-TV in Austin, MN

Annie Stensrud of KEYC-Mankato drunk on air 12/4/11

(KEYC's parent company -- United Communications -- has apparently scrubbed YouTube of the original newscast clips but this David Letterman clip showcases Annie Stensrud at her best.)

Wow. It boggles my mind how someone could show up to work obviously impaired and her co-workers let Annie Stensrud of KEYC-TV in Mankato go on the air. Whether she was drunk, on powerful cold medication or high as a kite from smoking a fat joint doesn't really matter.

This isn't the 1970s or even the 1980s. She isn't new at the job either as her bio details a series of TV stations she has been employed at. Don Shelby of WCCO-TV showed up for work very obviously drunk once early in his career in Minneapolis but went on to have a storied career. He made reparations and turned his life around and used his battle with alcohol to bring awareness to the subject. I highly doubt that Annie Stensrud -- anchoring weekends in Mankato -- is destined for greatness but I could be wrong. I do know that an impaired performance like this gets at least a few people talking and will be hard to explain down the road to future employers. I hope that this was a one-time deal and that she had simply taken too much cold medication but I have my doubts.

Since you're obviously interested in Minnesota happenings, check out MinnPics. It's the best of the best of photos from all over Minnesota! (even some from Mankato)