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June 17 (UPI) -- West Virginia Mountaineers head basketball coach Bob Huggins was placed under arrest for drunken driving on Friday, according to police in Pittsburgh. Huggins, 69, was charged with driving under the influence and was released from custody, police noted on the department's public safety blotter.
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The coach is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at an unspecified later date.
The police report said officers observed a black SUV "in the middle of the road, blocking traffic" in the city around 8:30 p.m. The driver's side door was open and the vehicle had a flat and shredded tire.
After officers arrived to help the driver deal with the flat tire, "they observed him having difficulty maneuvering the SUV to allow vehicles to pass" and so activated their lights to pull him over.
"Upon questioning, officers had strong suspicion to believe the male was intoxicated," the report noted.
Police said they discovered empty beer cans in a trash bag inside the SUV, and that Huggins had a blood alcohol level of .210%, which is over twice the legal limit of .08%.
West Virginia University released a statement following the arrest.
"West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Head Men's Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) in the City of Pittsburgh," school officials said. "We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete."
Huggins has coached West Virginia since 2007.
He was the subject of controversy earlier this year when he made homophobic remarks during an interview on a Cincinnati radio station.
Huggins was suspended for three games and apologized for the comments.
