Emily Carlson

Emily Carlson is a top level competitive figure skater turned broadcast journalist.

Early life

Carlson was born in 1983 and raised near Minneapolis, Minnesota. She was graduated from the Academy of Holy Angels and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Carlson earned a bachelor's degree in English and Broadcast Journalism. [cite web | url = http://www.stthomas.edu/journalism/careers/default.html | title = Careers in Journalism & Mass Communication | accessdate = 2008-07-31]

Career

Figure skating

Carlson won two gold medals and rose to the top two percent of competitive figure skaters when she passed a series of eight tests in both freestyle skating and moves, figure skating's highest honor at that level.

In 2000, Emily Carlson won the Sparks Sternaman Founders Trophy in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and the Braemar McCandless Memorial Trophy for winning both Junior Ladies Freestyle events. In 2001, Emily Carlson won the Eleanor Fisher Figure Skating Crown from Braemar City of Lakes Figure Skating Club in Edina, Minnesota.

Television

Emily Carlson's television experience includes work for KSTP-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Carlson worked for both the consumer investigations unit and the political unit at the Minnesota State Capitol. She was a reporter and news anchor at KEYC in Mankato, Minnesota where she covered the escape of convicted rapist Michael Benson. Carlson gained national notoriety when she helped America's Most Wanted compile information on Benson that led to his capture and arrest. [cite news | url = http://www.keyc.tv/article/view/98516/ | title = How Benson Spent More than Two Weeks on the Run | publisher = KEYC | first = Emily | last = Carlson | date = 2006-05-03 | accessdate = 2008-07-31] Carlson also reported for WICD in Champaign, Illinois and TV30 in the Bay Area of California until it stopped doing news in June 2008.

Carlson is currently a reporter at WHO-TV in Des Moines, Iowa.

Accusation

During a September 2007 trial for 19-year old Erin Davis on a DUI charge, Davis testified that she drove drunk on September 17, 2006 after she was given alcohol by Carlson. Davis claimed she had to drive drunk to avoid being sexually assaulted by co-workers. Davis struck two parked cars on South Neil Street in Champaign, heavily damaged her own car, then kept driving into Campustown where University of Illinois police spotted her. [ [http://www.news-gazette.com/news/courts_crime_fire/2007/09/13/exwicdintern_acquitted_of_dui News Gazette September 13, 2007] ] Davis claimed she was fleeing what she feared would be a potential sexual assault by Carlson and anchor Kent Ninomiya. Davis was found with a blood alcohol level of .20 which is two and a half times the legal limit in Illinois. Carlson denied the allegation writing to the Star Tribune that Davis' defense was a fabrication. "Clearly the state attorney's office found me to be the credible witness, not Erin Davis." Ninomiya also denied the accusation to the Star Tribune writing "Both me and Emily Carlson were subpoenaed as witnesses for the prosecution. Don't you think the state's attorney would have loved to come after an anchor and reporter if there was any wrongdoing? Her story was her attempt to avoid taking responsibility for her actions." Neither Carlson, who did not testify, nor Ninomiya, who did testify, was charged with any crime regarding Davis. Davis was initially identified as a former intern at WICD in news reports but was later confirmed to be a former operations department employee by the WICD's general manager. [ [http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/11351601.html C.J.: News alert: Ex-KSTPers tell their side of Champaign story] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.emily-carlson.com Official website]
* [http://emilyacarlson.blogspot.com/ Official bio]
* [http://www.linkedin.com/in/emilycarlson Emily Carlson on LinkedIn]