LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Jefferson County prosecutors dropped charges against world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler on Wednesday, as county attorney Mike O’Connell said the office would not pursue criminal action following Scheffler’s arrest during a traffic jam outside the PGA Championship.
O’Connell motioned to dismiss the case against Scheffler in open court, attesting that Scheffler’s assertion that it was all a misunderstanding “is corrobated by the evidence.” Jefferson District Court judge Anne Delahanty granted the dismissal of the charges.
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Scheffler’s attorney Steven Romines said Scheffler now seeks to move on and will not pursue any litigation against the Louisville Metro Police Department or the city. “Scottie Scheffler doesn’t want the taxpayers of Louisville to have to pay a dime,” Romines said.
Wednesday’s decision concludes a case that began in the early morning hours before the PGA Championship’s second round earlier this month, leading to one of the most bizarre days in major golf in which the sport’s top player spent part of his morning in jail before rushing back to the course to play himself back into contention.
Louisville police arrested Scheffler shortly after 6 a.m. on May 17 when he attempted to navigate around a traffic backup caused by a fatal crash outside Valhalla Golf Club earlier that morning. A shuttle bus struck and killed John Mills, a local man working for a tournament vendor, leading police to halt traffic on the street outside the club’s entrance.
Scheffler said an officer directed him to drive around the traffic to get inside the club for his tee time, but according to the arrest report, detective Bryan Gillis then directed him to stop the vehicle. Gillis claimed that he was “dragged” to the ground by Scheffler’s vehicle and required medical treatment for his injuries.
Scheffler had faced charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic. O’Connell said that his team worked through all evidence available to it through the end of day on May 24, then over the Memorial Day weekend, as it sought to determine whether or not it could support the initial charges.
During the incident, Gillis did not activate his body-worn camera, a violation of the Louisville Metro Police Department’s policy, police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said last week. She added that Gillis received “corrective action” for violating the department’s rules.
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Videos of the incident released last Thursday did not show an officer being knocked to the ground. One of the videos captured on a fixed pole camera on the street showed an officer approaching a moving car, driven by Scheffler. The car stopped as the officer approached the window, where multiple officers gathered before Scheffler was arrested. Whether Gillis was knocked down before the video shows the car is unclear; multiple buses blocked some of the camera’s view.
“Do you believe they would have dismissed this case if he was dragged? No. They would not have. That did not happen,” Romines said.
Police brought Scheffler to a precinct after his arrest and booked him at 7:28 a.m. He was released at 8:40 a.m., then returned to the course for his 10:08 a.m. tee time and shot a second-round 66 to remain in contention. His play declined in the third round with a 73, but Scheffler finished the PGA Championship tied for eighth place.
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Inside the most bizarre day in major golf with the arrest of Scottie Scheffler
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)