Bodycam footage shows police arresting Few, conversation at hospital

KHQ obtained body camera footage through a public records request from the Coeur d’Alene Police Department that shows police arresting Gonzaga head basketball coach Mark Few on suspicion of a DUI, and the subsequent exchange between a police sergeant and Few at a hospital.

“Sorry we’re meeting this way,” Coeur d’Alene police Sgt. Joe Scholten told Few at Kootenai Health. “So the officer who you’ve been dealing with didn’t know your name to the extent of who you are … What I stopped by for essentially was hey, I’m like, he’s a great guy. He’s in Spokane. There’s really no reason we need to book him probably to jail so let’s just give him a citation.”

In the initial police report, arresting officer Matthew Lovingier wrote he was “directed” by his supervisors to release Few from custody and issue a citation. “I took Mark out of handcuffs and issued him a citation for driving under the influence,” Lovingier wrote.

Few was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Labor Day last month in Dalton Gardens, north of Coeur d’Alene. Breath tests conducted at the scene revealed Few’s blood alcohol levels of 0.119 and 0.120, above the 0.08 legal limit in Idaho.

He pleaded guilty to the charge last week. The longtime Gonzaga coach must complete 24 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine in lieu of spending four days in jail, according to court documents. His driver’s license is suspended until Nov. 5, when he will be required to use an ignition interlock device while on unsupervised probation for the next year.

Few was required to complete an alcohol and drug class, which his attorney indicated he had already done.

He was suspended for Gonzaga’s two exhibition games and the nonconference season opener. He is expected to return for Gonzaga’s Nov. 13 game against Texas at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

On the date of the incident, Sept. 6, Few initially refused to leave his vehicle when ordered by an officer and refused to perform field sobriety tests, according to a police report. Few said he had previous ankle and knee injuries that prevented him from performing field sobriety tests, the report said.

Few initially told the officer he did not consume any alcohol that day but later said he had a couple of beers, according to the report. He told police he was returning from his vacation home in Hayden Lake and driving to Spokane.