CHUCK BARTELS
Associated Press
October 21, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Anne Pressly’s personality made her a hit with television viewers. Now, police want to know whether her celebrity made her a target.
The popular KATV anchorwoman, who had a small part in the new Bush biopic W, was in critical but stable condition Tuesday after a severe beating in her home. Investigators aren’t sure whether she was the random victim of a home invasion or a target because of her high-profile job.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
“(It) is possible that it is something other than robbery,” police spokeswoman Cassandra Davis said. “Our detectives are talking with co-workers because she was a public figure, because she was on the news, in the media.”
Pressly, 26, was found Monday a half-hour before she was due on the set of Daybreak, a morning mix of news and features on Little Rock’s ABC affiliate. Her mother discovered the anchorwoman battered and bloodied after she didn’t answer a wake-up call.
Pressly was in her bed, unresponsive and bleeding from her head. Davis described the injuries as “severe wounds” and said Pressly had been stabbed. KATV, citing investigators, said her injuries were from blunt force trauma to the head and upper body.
Pressly’s purse was missing, and police said she may have been beaten during a robbery, though there was no sign of forced entry into her home. Asked whether Pressly may have been targeted because of her job, Davis said officers were talking to station employees to determine whether Pressly “has had any problems.” Davis would not discuss specifics.
In a statement, KATV president and general manager Dale Nicholson said the anchorwoman “is a person who simply lights up the room, by just walking in.
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