Gonzaga baseball coach arrested for suspected DUI in Reardan

Gonzaga University’s head baseball coach is accused of driving with a blood alcohol content more than three times the legal limit Thursday night in Reardan.

Mark A. Machtolf, 57, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and booked into the Lincoln County Jail. Reardan Police Chief Andrew Manke said Machtolf was released from jail Friday after posting bond.

Machtolf told authorities he drank two IPAs Thursday night, an arrest report says. His blood alcohol content level was as high as 0.284 at the jail.

Machtolf finished his 19th season as the Bulldogs’ head coach after his team fell to Columbia University on Sunday at the NCAA Tournament in Blacksburg, Virginia.

“We are aware of the reports out of Lincoln County on Coach Machtolf’s arrest for suspicion of DUI Thursday night,” Gonzaga Athletic Director Chris Standiford said in a statement. “We recognize the serious nature of the charge. As a Gonzaga employee, we respect Coach Machtolf’s right to privacy and will refrain from further comment at this time.”

Barrett Henderson, Gonzaga assistant director of athletics and communications, said Machtolf was unavailable for comment Friday.

According to an arresting officer statement from Melissa Foust, Foust received a call from dispatch around 8 p.m. Thursday of a blue pickup truck that was all over the road. Foust turned on Lake Street and located the blue truck, a 2016 Chevrolet Silverado, as it pulled into a parking space in front of the Reardan Store. When the driver, Machtolf, left the store, he appeared to “slowly and lethargically stumble repeatedly from the store to his vehicle,” according to the arrest report.

As Machtolf got into the truck, Foust pulled behind him and turned on her emergency lights, attempting to block him into the parking space, the statement said. Machtolf started backing out of the parking spot and Foust put her patrol car in reverse so he wouldn’t hit her car.

Machtolf finished pulling out of the space and headed north on Lake Street. Foust wrote that Machtolf eventually pulled over for Foust, who had her emergency lights on, and pulled into a parking space at the Speed Trap Tap House, which is on the corner of Lake Street and U.S. Highway 2, less than a block from the Reardan Store.

Foust wrote that Machtolf’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and she could smell a “strong odor” of alcohol on Machtolf.

Machtolf then performed field sobriety tests for Foust and a Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputy who arrived on scene. Machtolf declined to take a preliminary breath test and was arrested on suspicion of DUI.

The DUI arrest was the second among Gonzaga head coaches in the last year. Men’s basketball coach Mark Few pleaded guilty to DUI after he was arrested on Labor Day near Coeur d’Alene. Few told police he was returning from his vacation home in Hayden Lake and driving to Spokane.

Few was ordered to complete 24 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine in lieu of spending four days in jail, according to court documents. The maximum penalty for misdemeanor DUI is six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. His driver’s license was suspended until Nov. 5, 2021, when an ignition interlock device was required to be used while he was on probation for the next year.