Director's Alert: Former WKYC Anchor Husband Sentenced in Philadephia

Philly.com is reporting this afternoon that former CBS3 Philadelphia anchor Larry Mendte (and husband of former WKYC Anchor Dawn Stensland) has been seentenced to 3 years probation, 6 months home confinement, 250 hours community service, computer monitoring plus a fine.

We first began following this story right after Memorial Day when Mendte's home was raided by the FBI and was determined he had hacked into the email accounts of his one-time KYW colleague Alycia Lane.

Again, we wish to stress that Dawn was in no way found to be involved in Larry's email hacking, nor had any knowledge of it.

For more on this breaking development, CLICK HERE

Update: Fired Philly TV anchor admits e-mail hacking

We have an update on a story we first brought you at the end of May. Former WKYC anchor Dawn Stensland's husband Larry Mendte was fired by his station in Philadelphia after it was alleged that he secretly read his former co-anchors private emails. Again we stress Dawn was not involved in this in any way.

Today, we have the latest from The Associated Press:

A fired Philadelphia TV newscaster has admitted to hacking into his former co-anchor's e-mail accounts.

Larry Mendte has pleaded guilty to one count of illegally accessing a computer. He admits to illegally viewing hundreds of Alycia Lane's e-mails for more than two years, ending in May. The access came at a time when leaked information about Lane's personal life contributed to her own downfall.

Mendte and Lane co-anchored evening news for four years together at KYW, a CBS affiliate. The partnership ended after Lane was arrested in December following an alleged scuffle with New York police and was fired.

Mendte later lost his job and was charged by federal prosecutors. He faces a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison, but is likely to get much less.

Courtesy: AP

Director's Alert: Husband of former WKYC anchor officially charged in e-mail scandal

PHILADELPHIA -- A longtime Philadelphia newscaster has been charged with illegally accessing the e-mail of his former co-anchor.

Federal prosecutors have charged Larry Mendte with a felony count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization. Authorities say he hacked into the account of Alycia Lane hundreds of times over more than two years. A prosecutor says he went "well beyond just reading someone's e-mail."

Mendte was fired from the Philadelphia CBS affiliate last month after FBI agents seized his computer. His attorney says Mendte is cooperating "and will accept full responsibility for his actions." He faces a six-month prison term if convicted.

Lane was fired from the station in January after a series of off-camera incidents, including an arrest after a late-night scuffle with police in New York City.

Larry is the husband of former WKYC news anchor Dawn Stensland who works for the crosstown FOX affiliate in Philly.

Courtesy: The Associated Press

Update: Husband of former WKYC anchorwoman fired

Updating a story we first brought you 3 weeks ago on the Director's Cut Blog, Larry Mendte - the husband of former WKYC anchorwoman Dawn Stensland - has been officially fired by his station, KYW, in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Inquirer first broke this story in late May/early June when FBI agents raided Mendte's home and seized a computer amid allegations he was involved in breaking into his former co-anchor, Alicia Lane's, email at work. Alicia was let go from the station earlier this year.

According to today's Inquirer's article, "Sources said an internal investigation at CBS3 disclosed that software that secretly captures keystrokes - including passwords - had been installed on a station computer."

The article also stresses that so far no charges have been filed against Mendte and that his wife, WTXF anchor Dawn Stensland was NOT suspected of any wrongdoing.

Stay tuned for more on this one!

TO READ MORE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION:

• Philadelphia Inqurier website: CLICK HERE
• KYW/CBS 6 website: CLICK HERE

Photo Courtesy: CBS6

Director's Alert: Husband of former WKYC Anchor under FBI Investigation

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting today that KYW Anchor Larry Mendte, the husband of former WKYC News Anchor Dawn Stensland, is under FBI investigation about whether Mendte gossiped to the media about messages from co-anchor Alycia Lane's email from her lawyer. Alycia was fired from the station earlier this year.

The story broke on Saturday when FBI agents raided Mendte's home and seized a personal computer.

According to an article posted on the Inquirer's website: "CBS3 anchor Larry Mendte opened former colleague Alycia Lane's private e-mail account hundreds of times over many months, sources told The Inquirer yesterday, and the FBI is investigating whether he passed on gossip about Lane to the media.

In part, federal officials are trying to determine whether Mendte intercepted communication between Lane and her lawyers about her lawsuit against CBS3, which fired her in January."

Mendte remains employed at KYW, but has been taken off the air pending the investigation.

Larry's wife, Dawn, is currently an evening anchor at crosstown station, Fox 29.

TO READ MORE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION:

• Philadelphia Inqurier website: CLICK HERE
• KYW/CBS 6 website: CLICK HERE

Photo Courtesy: CBS6

Where Are They Now?: Dawn Stensland

To read more about Dawn's husband, Larry Mendte: CLICK HERE

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This week, I'm starting a new feature on the "Director's Cut" blog called "Where Are They Now?" I'll focus on Channel 3 personalities who have worked here and gone on to other career opportunities through the years.

We'll kick if off with with Dawn Stensland who was an anchorwoman at WKYC (6 & 11 PM) and then at KYW-TV ( 5 PM) in Philadelphia during the 1990s. Dawn also was a host of "Saturday Morning" on CBS for about 2 years. It was during this time that she anchored live coverage with Dan Rather for several hours the morning that John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane crashed.


Currently, Dawn is co-anchor of the 10 p.m. news at WTXF-TV, Philadelphia's Fox affiliate. She is married to Larry Mendte, a former WABC-TV anchorman and former Access Hollywood co-host who currently anchors the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. anchor at KYW where Dawn worked prior to WTXF. They have two children together, Michael (born April 1, 2004) and Lawrence (born September 14, 2006).

Before heading home to Philadelphia in 1997, Dawn worked at other TV stations across the country including Chicago, Minneapolis - and, of course in Cleveland where she was paired up with Judd Hambrick on WKYC.

For 17 years, Dawn has been a volunteer and honorary chairwoman for local chapter programs of the Salvation Army, March of Dimes WalkAmerica, the American Cancer Society, Girl Scouts "Family Partnership" program and the DARE program. Her mom and grandmother are breast cancer survivors, which is why Dawn has been dedicated to charities that support breast cancer research, such as "Race For the Cure."

Dawn and her family are also involved in fundraisers that help abandoned and abused animals.

If you'd like to drop Dawn a note, her email address is: dawnstensland@fox29.com
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Photo Courtesy: WTXF-TV