Criminal charges against world-renowned golfer Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, concluding a legal saga that began with images of his arrest and handcuffing in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
On Wednesday afternoon, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell requested a judge to drop the four charges against Scheffler, who was not required to attend the courtroom session. O’Connell stated that his team had reviewed the case in a “thorough and expeditious manner.”
“Based upon the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward in the prosecution of the charges filed against Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said during the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes. “Mr. Scheffler’s characterization that this was ‘a big misunderstanding’ is corroborated by the evidence.”
Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, remarked that the golfer is “happy it’s over” and “obviously, he didn’t do anything wrong.”
Scheffler faced a felony charge for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, in addition to three misdemeanors. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, encountered Scheffler outside the gate of Valhalla Golf Course on May 17 while directing traffic following a pedestrian death.
During the hearing, prosecutor O’Connell said that the findings from his office’s review led him to request the dismissal of the charges.
“The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Detective Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said. “However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses.”
Romines was asked if he wanted to comment and replied: “Judge, it’s taken me a long time to understand that when I’m winning, don’t talk. So I have nothing to say, your honor.”
The judge then accepted the dismissal motion.
Scheffler, 27, was driving a PGA courtesy vehicle when Gillis claimed he “refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging” Gillis to the ground. Gillis reported that his uniform pants were damaged in the fall, and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
A surveillance video released by Louisville police last week showed Gillis pursuing Scheffler’s vehicle on foot and stopping him from entering the course. Scheffler is later seen being pulled from the car and cuffed. However, the video did not show Gillis’ initial contact with Scheffler, authorities stated.
Gillis has been disciplined for failing to activate his body-worn camera during the arrest. In a report on that failure, Gillis wrote that Scheffler had “demanded to be let in” the golf course.
Scheffler stated that he simply misunderstood the commands coming from the traffic officers.
The golfer spent a brief time in a jail cell before returning to the course for the second round, ultimately finishing the tournament tied for eighth place.
Romines mentioned that eyewitness accounts confirmed the officer was not dragged by Scheffler’s car.
“The more evidence that comes out, the more it shows that Scottie was a victim here. And I think everybody sees something like this happen and realizes they’re one wrong turn … from going to jail themselves,” he said after the hearing.
The lawyer indicated that there were grounds for a civil lawsuit against the Louisville police department but stated that Scheffler is not interested in pursuing litigation.
“Scottie Scheffler doesn’t want the taxpayers of Louisville to have to pay him a dime,” he said.
