Longtime soap opera star Colleen Zenk has been arrested in Florida on what is her third drunk driving charge in the past 16 years.
The 73-year-old actress, who made a career playing scheming villains in hit daytime dramas, was arrested last month in Naples on a pair of misdemeanor DUI charges.
Zenk played some of soap’s most memorable antagonists, including 1,836 episodes on As the World Turns from 1978 through 2010 and 80 episodes on The Young and the Restless.
She earned three Emmy nominations and was voted “Best Villain” by Soap Opera Digest in 2003.
Her most recent villainous character was killed off in 2025.
Naples police took Zenk into custody in May, charging her with damage to property or another person and having a DUI blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher, according to records from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office.
She bonded out May 16.
According to the arrest report, a witness told deputies they saw the actress back out from a handicapped parking space and collide with a parked car near a Tommy Bahama store in the 9100 block of Strada Place.
She continued driving but stopped “a short distance away” when the witness flagged her down.
After deputies arrived, the actress appeared unsteady and smelled of alcohol, a responding sergeant noted.
Zenk reportedly told officers she had been at a bistro called Bar Tulia, where she said she drank “two wine cups.”
After she agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, police noted she showed signs of impairment and later provided breath samples measuring 0.216 and 0.192 blood alcohol content — well above the drunk driving threshold.
Court records show Zenk was charged in Collier County in May 2017 in what was listed as a first offense.
She was also previously arrested in Connecticut in 2010 after police alleged she was driving erratically and crossed into an oncoming lane, resulting in DUI-related charges and an improper lane usage charge.
A representative for Zenk told People in a statement June 30, “The charges are being defended. Ms. Zenk has not been convicted of anything. The truth will be played out in court.”
The charges remain allegations. The case has not been proven in court.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on July 29.
‘As the World Turns’ alum Colleen Zenk arrested for DUI in Florida https://t.co/IXvWsdUkf2 pic.twitter.com/AtJlw2N9ks
— New York Post (@nypost) July 1, 2026
