LOUISVILLE, Ky. — All charges against Scottie Scheffler have been dropped as part of a new agreement between attorneys.
On Wednesday, attorneys met in court to discuss the motion to drop charges. The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said his office could not move forward with prosecution of charges filed against Scheffler after an extensive and through review of evidence.
"Mr. Scheffler's characterization that this was 'a big misunderstanding' is corroborated by the evidence," he added. "The evidence we reviewed supports the conclusion that Det. Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact with Mr. Scheffler, however Mr. Scheffler's actions and the evidence surrounding their exchange during this misunderstanding do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses."
Scheffler, the No. 1 golfer in the world, was arrested May 17 in a bizarre incident at the entrance of Valhalla Golf Club where the PGA Championship was being contested. According to Louisville Metro Police, Scheffler failed to obey traffic commands as he attempted to gain access to the course and "dragged" an officer to the ground with his vehicle.
"As I stated previously, this was an unfortunate misunderstanding. I hold no ill will toward Officer Gillis. I wish to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he will do the same. Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard. This was a severe miscommunication in a chaotic situation," Scheffler said on social media.
"I appreciate the support during the past two weeks and want to again encourage everyone to remember the real tragedy of May 17. My thoughts and prayers continue to be with John Mills and his family, and I hope to personally offer my condolences now that the case is over. May John rest in peace."
Scheffler was charged with felony 2nd degree assault of a police officer; 3rd degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic. Scheffler called the incident a "big misunderstanding" in statement later that day. He was able to leave jail and make it back to the course for his morning tee time.
Louisville attorney Steve Romines said Scheffler does not plan to sue Louisville Metro Police Department.
"Lawsuits are paid by the taxpayers, if he prevails in civil litigation against LMPD, who pays that?" Romines said. "Taxpayers of Louisville, he doesn't with [them] to pay him for whatever occurred [and] being involved in litigation would be a distraction."
In a news conference after the hearing, Romines doubled down saying Scheffler "was not dragged."
"Do you believe they would have dismissed this case if he was dragged? No, they would not have. That did not happen," Romines said. "The more evidence that comes out, the more it shows Scottie was a victim here."
A man working security, 69-year-old John Mills, was hit by a bus and killed outside the course in an unrelated incident prior to Scheffler's arrest.
"All our thoughts go out to the Mills' family, on behalf of Scottie, I have been in contact with the family," Romines said. "He wishes to express his personal condolences to them."
Det. Bryan Gillis, the officer who arrested Scheffler, was disciplined last week for failing to activate his body camera during the incident, which is a violation of department policy. The only publicly released video of the incident that exists is from a stationary camera across the street from the entrance, which was released last week.
In a statement after the hearing, LMPD said it would be releasing additional pieces of evidence in Scheffler's case through open records request. Last week, the department published a "transparency" page dedicated to Scheffler's arrest.
"We respect the County Attorney’s decision, and we respect the judicial process. LMPD will remain focused on our mission to serve the city of Louisville and mitigate violent crime," the department said. "Videos and documents which were previously unreleased due to the judicial process will be made available, after appropriate redactions are made, via Louisville Metro Government’s online portal here.
When asked whether Scheffler would ever return to Louisville to play in a tournament, Romines responded, "Obviously, if there's another major championship played in Louisville, I'm sure Scottie Scheffler would play in it."
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