Spanos Resurfaces 2 Days After Being Reported Missing
BURBANK — City Council member Susan Spanos, whose husband reported her missing from an Anaheim medical facility on Sunday, contacted her family Tuesday afternoon and is no longer considered a missing person, police said.
Spanos, whose whereabouts for nearly two days remained unclear Tuesday, was reported missing from a medical facility in Anaheim, Burbank police said. It was the second time this month that her husband reported her missing.
Police said Spanos’ husband, Ted Spanos, contacted Anaheim police to report his wife missing at about 10 p.m. Sunday. The case was then forwarded to the Burbank Police Department’s missing persons detail, authorities said.
At about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Susan Spanos contacted her family, authorities said.
“As far as we’re concerned we no longer have a missing person and we no longer have an investigation,†said Burbank Police Lt. Don Brown.
Police in Burbank and Anaheim declined to elaborate on what happened to Spanos.
“Clearly something is wrong and clearly she needs some medical attention,†said Councilman Ted McConkey, perhaps Spanos’ closest council ally. “I hope she gets it. I hope everything turns out well.â€
City Manager Robert Ovrom said, “We’re glad she’s no longer missing. We’re glad she’s back getting care.â€
In a separate incident earlier this month, Spanos’ husband reported her missing to Burbank police about 1:30 a.m. and she turned up at her mother’s house about noon that day.
The 33-year-old councilwoman, who was the city’s youngest-ever council member when she took office in May 1993, said in a December interview that she would not seek reelection to a four-year term because she needed to recover privately from an alleged sexual assault that she says occurred in January 1996.
“I have a lot of healing to do,†she said then. “I cannot be an effective participant in the community unless I am strong.â€
She also said she looked forward to taking care of herself and her family. Spanos and her husband have two young children.
Spanos earlier this year accused local newspaper columnist Will Rogers of sexual assault. Rogers, whose columns appear in the Glendale News Press, Burbank Leader and Foothill Leader, which are owned by Times Mirror Corp., which also operates the Los Angeles Times, has repeatedly denied the allegation and the district attorney’s office declined to press charges.
Spanos then filed a lawsuit against Rogers. Lawyers for Rogers said a judge recently ordered Spanos and her lawyers to pay more than $2,750 in sanctions for her repeated failure to appear for depositions and respond to discovery requests.
Last May, Spanos, who was vice mayor at the time, was denied the traditional elevation to the position of mayor when the council refused to confirm her for the top post. Instead, Bill Wiggins was named mayor and Bob Kramer, a vocal critic of Spanos, was named vice mayor.
Spanos had complained to Burbank police in April 1996 about an alleged assault in Rogers’ car following a Jan. 9 council meeting.
City officials said Tuesday there was no way to know whether Spanos would return to the council before her term expires at the end of April.
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