Scottie Scheffler's criminal charges dismissed following PGA Championship arrest
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Criminal charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dismissed, ending a legal saga that began with images of the world's top male golfer being arrested and handcuffed in Louisville during the PGA Championship.
The developments come as new video surfaces from the Highland Park-native’s arrest outside Valhalla Golf Club earlier this month.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell, a local prosecutor, asked a judge Wednesday afternoon to drop the four charges against Scheffler, who was not required to be in the courtroom Wednesday.
O'Connell said his team reviewed the case in a "thorough and expeditious manner" and found they now believed Scheffler’s account.
"Your honor, today I will be tendering to the court a motion to dismiss all the charges against Mr. Scott Scheffler," he said. "Mr. Scheffler's characterization that this was ‘a big misunderstanding’ is corroborated."
Scheffler was charged with a felony for assaulting a police officer with his vehicle, along with three misdemeanors. The arresting officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, was outside the gate of Valhalla Golf Course May 17 directing traffic after a pedestrian death when he encountered Scheffler.
Scheffler, 27, was driving a PGA courtesy vehicle when Gillis said he "refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging" Gillis to the ground. Gillis said his uniform pants were damaged in the fall and he was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
(Photo by Louisville Department of Corrections/Getty Images)
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 pulled from the car and cuffed. But the video did not show Gillis' first contact with Scheffler, authorities said.
Gillis has been disciplined for not activating 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 has said he simply misunderstood the commands coming from traffic officers.
A newly surfaced body camera shows Scheffler talking with a different officer shortly after his arrest in the back of a squad car.
"As I was pulling my windows down, the officer told me to stop, and that's all it was. But first of all, I did not know that he was a police officer. I thought he was one of the security guards. That was mistaken as I was pulling by," Scheffler said.
"Stop right there. Why does it matter if he's a security guard or a police officer? Because somebody’s telling you stop. Yes?" the other officer said.
"You're right. I should have stopped," Scheffler admitted. "I did get a little bit impatient because I'm quite late for my tee time. And as he was reaching for the car, he grabbed my shoulder and hit me."
"Like trying to get you to stop, right?" the officer asked.
"Yes," Scheffler replied.
Outside Wednesday’s court hearing, Scheffler's attorney said his client was the victim and was critical over what he saw in the video.
"They are trying to get him to confess to something he did not do. The video evidence shows it. That is why you don’t talk to the police," said his attorney, Steve Romines.
Scottie Scheffler arrest video released by Louisville police
Police in Kentucky have released new video showing the arrest of the world’s top-ranked golfer.
In a statement to WAVE-TV in Louisville, Detective Gillis weighed in late Wednesday saying, "Mr. Scheffler and I both agree that there will be no ill will over this going forward."
But Gillis also took aim at Scheffler's attorney's comments.
"To be clear, I was drug by the car," he said. "I went to the ground, and I received visible injuries to my knees and wrist."
Meanwhile, Scheffler's attorney says they do not plan to pursue legal action.
"The truly historic season he is having right now, being involved would be a distraction," Romines said.
The famous golfer spent a brief stint in a jail cell, then returned to the course for the second round. He finished the tournament tied for eighth place.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.