Colleen Zenk Charged With DUI After Naples, Florida Crash: Young and the Restless / As the World Turns Alum

COLLEEN ZENK ARRESTED IN NAPLES AS PRE-TRIAL DATE IS SET

TL;DR: Emmy nominated actress Colleen Zenk, who played Jordan Howard on Young and the Restless, was charged with DUI after a crash in Naples, Florida, has pleaded not guilty, and is due back in court for a pre-trial on July 29.

What the Records Show

Colleen Zenk, the veteran actress daytime fans know as Genoa City schemer Jordan Howard, is facing a new DUI charge tied to an incident in Naples, Florida. According to records from the Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the County Clerk’s Office, she was booked on May 15, 2026, at 7:35 p.m. on two misdemeanor counts. The first is DUI resulting in damage to the property or person of another. The second is DUI with a blood alcohol level of 0.15 or higher, more than double Florida’s legal limit of 0.08, with each count carrying a 1,000 dollar bond.

The dispatch report describes a crash involving two vehicles. A witness reported seeing the driver back out of a handicap parking spot and strike a car parked beside it, then keep pulling away before being stopped a short distance down the road. That same witness said the driver appeared unsteady while stepping out of the vehicle. None of this has been tested in court, and the counts remain allegations at this stage.

Did you follow this actress across both As the World Turns and Young and the Restless? Write our editor Amber Sinclair at amber@soapoperamagazine.com and tell us the role you remember best.

The Field Sobriety Report

After the crash investigation wrapped, the report states a DUI investigation began. The arresting officer wrote that Colleen Zenk said she had come from a local spot called Bar Tulia, where she had two cups of wine. She agreed to perform field sobriety exercises, and the officer noted trouble with her balance on the walk to the testing area.

The officer documented three standard exercises. During the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, the report notes rapid, repetitive eye movement near a 45 degree angle. On the Walk and Turn, the officer wrote that Zenk could not keep her arms at her sides and stepped beyond the line. On the One-Leg Stand, the report describes swaying severe enough that the officer believed she might fall. Two breath samples followed, registering 0.206 and 0.192.

When Is Colleen Zenk Due Back in Court?

Court records show that Colleen Zenk bonded out on May 16, 2026, with an initial court date of June 10. She did not appear in person, having filed a waiver of appearance for non mandatory hearings, and entered a not guilty plea through her attorney. A continuance was then granted, setting a pre-trial date of July 29, 2026.

The report marks this as Zenk‘s third DUI arrest since 2010. She was first stopped in Wilton, Connecticut, in April of that year for erratic driving and crossing into oncoming traffic, which brought DUI and improper lane usage charges. A second arrest followed in Collier County in May 2017. As with the current counts, the latest charges have not been proven, and she is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise.

From Oakdale to Genoa City

Zenk has been a familiar face to soap audiences for decades. She originated Barbara Ryan on As the World Turns in 1978 and stayed through the show’s 2010 finale, earning three Daytime Emmy nominations along the way. On Young and the Restless, Colleen Zenk arrived in November 2023 as the venomous schemer Jordan Howard, the aunt who preyed on the insecurities of Claire Newman (Hayley Erin) and tormented both the Newman and Howard families alongside Ian Ward (Ray Wise). The character met her end on the January 24, 2025 episode, drinking the poisoned tea Claire had prepared for her.

What do you make of this latest news out of Naples? Share your thoughts in the comments and let other readers know where you land.

A Long Career and a Case Still Ahead

Across more than four decades, this actress gave daytime some of its most memorable women, from Oakdale’s steely Barbara Ryan to Genoa City’s most chilling aunt. Plenty of fans have reason to wish her well as this chapter plays out, whatever the outcome turns out to be.

For now the case is still open, the plea is not guilty, and the next date on the calendar is the July pre-trial. Bring your memories of her best roles to our Facebook page and tell us the scene you will never forget.

Originally reported by Soap Opera Network.