Culture

73-Year-Old Soap Opera Actress Busted for Alleged DUI

Soap opera actress Colleen Zenk is facing two misdemeanor DUI charges following her arrest in Florida earlier this year.

According to court records and documents obtained by The Soap Opera Network, the 73-year-old As the World Turns and The Young and the Restless actress was arrested May 15 after deputies responded to a two-vehicle crash near Strada Place in Naples.

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Authorities charged Zenk with DUI causing damage to property or another person and DUI with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher.

According to the arrest report, a witness told deputies they saw Zenk backing out of a handicapped parking space near a Tommy Bahama store when her vehicle struck another parked car.

The witness alleged that Zenk continued driving after the collision before stopping a short distance away. The report also states the witness believed Zenk appeared unsteady after getting out of her vehicle.

A responding sheriff’s sergeant wrote that he detected the odor of alcohol while speaking with the actress.

After investigating the crash, deputies began a DUI investigation. According to the report, Zenk told officers she had been at Bar Tulia, where she consumed “two wine cups.”

Court documents state that Zenk agreed to perform field sobriety exercises. The arresting officer wrote that she displayed multiple signs of impairment during the tests, including difficulty maintaining her balance, swaying and trouble following instructions.

Following the field sobriety exercises, deputies placed Zenk under arrest.

According to the report, she later provided two breath samples that registered blood alcohol concentrations of 0.206 and 0.192, both above Florida’s legal limit of 0.08.

Zenk was released after posting a $2,000 bond and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A representative for Zenk addressed the case in a statement to PEOPLE on June 30.

“The charges are being defended. Ms. Zenk has not been convicted of anything. The truth will be played out in court,” the representative said.

According to USA Today, she is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing on July 29.

Zenk is best known for portraying Barbara Ryan on As the World Turns, a role she played for more than three decades. In recent years, she has also appeared on The Young and the Restless, continuing a television career that has spanned more than 40 years.

The case remains pending in Florida court.