Colleen Zenk Arrested for DUI
Colleen Zenk, a veteran soap opera actress known for portraying cunning villains, was arrested in Florida for suspected driving under the influence, marking her third such arrest in the last 16 years.
Reports indicate that Zenk was taken into custody last month in Naples on a misdemeanor drunk driving charge.
The 73-year-old actress gained fame for her roles in popular soap operas, notably appearing in the final 80 episodes of The Young and the Restless and totaling 1,836 episodes on As the World Turns over 32 years. She received three Emmy nominations for her work on As the World Turns, which concluded in 2010.
In 2003, her talent was recognized when she was awarded “Best Villain” by Melodrama Digest.
Her most recent villainous character was written off in 2025.
Interestingly, she doesn’t seem to embody her devilish roles in real life—at least not during her promotional events. In her booking photo, she appears with a pleasant smile.
Records from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office reveal that Naples police arrested Zenk in May for damaging property and driving under the influence, with a reported blood alcohol content of 0.15 or higher. She was released on May 16.
According to the arrest report, witnesses saw her backing out of a handicapped space and colliding with a parked car near a local store, though she only stopped after being alerted by someone nearby.
When officers arrived, a sergeant noted signs of intoxication and the smell of alcohol. Zenk reportedly admitted to having “two glasses of wine” at a restaurant called Bar Tulia.
Despite agreeing to an on-site sobriety test, she showed signs of impairment. Breath samples later confirmed her blood alcohol levels as 0.216 and 0.192, significantly above the legal limit.
This isn’t Zenk’s first encounter with DUI charges; she faced a similar arrest in Collier County in May 2017 and another arrest in Connecticut back in 2010 for erratic driving.
A representative for Zenk stated that the charges are pending and emphasized that she has not been convicted. They are confident the truth will emerge in court.
Her next court date is a pretrial hearing set for July 29.
