Comedian David Koechner’s mug shot was released on Monday after his arrest on New Year’s Eve. According to a report by TMZ, the Anchorman star got two flat tires and hit a street sign on Friday afternoon, and police allegedly found that he had alcohol in his system. He spent a night in jail and is due in court in March.
Koechner is known for some of the biggest comedy productions of the last few decades, including playing Champ Kind in both Anchorman movies and playing Todd Packer on The Office. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that they got a call about an erratic driver on Friday afternoon, and the responding officer discovered Koechner behind the wheel. In a field sobriety test, police say Koechner showed a 0.13 blood alcohol concentration – well above the 0.08 legal limit for driving. When he arrived at the police station, Koechner was tested again and got a 0.12.
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Police said that Koechner was arrested at about 3 p.m. PT and was booked into Ventura County Jail at about 5 p.m. PT. His vehicle was towed, and records showed that he was released at about 5 a.m. PT. TMZ also published a photo of Koechner at a gas station the following day, with a noticeable dent in his fender. This was reportedly Koechner’s first DUI, at least in the state of California, and possibly his first run-in with the law ever.
Koechner has not commented publicly on his arrest yet, and his representatives did not respond to TMZ’s request for comment. The comedian is due to perform live in L.A. on Wednesday night, and judging by his Instagram Story, he intends to follow through with that.
Koechner was born and raised in Missouri and is now 59 years old. During college, he moved to Chicago to pursue improv comedy, performing at the legendary Second City and graduating from the program in 1994. He landed a job on Saturday Night Live in 1995, which is where he met his long-time collaborator Will Ferrell. Koechner then joined Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Koechner is a part of the comedy group sometimes referred to as the “Frat Pack” by fans or critics. It includes Ferrell, Steve Carell, Jack Black, Ben Stiller and many other prominent voices of their generation. Koechner’s most recent mainstream TV roles included playing Bill Lewis on The Goldbergs and Bob Pogo on F Is for Family.
Koechner shares five children with his ex-wife Leigh, but he filed for divorce in 2020. It is not clear where the family is at in those proceedings. Koechner is due in court for this alleged DUI on March 30.
