Scottie Scheffler is due in court on June 3 after Louisville Police gave no indication that the four charges against the world No 1 golfer will be dropped.
Scheffler was arrested in the early hours of last Friday (May 17) before his second round at the PGA Championship at Valhalla in Kentucky.
Stunning images showed golf’s world No 1 in handcuffs before he was taken to jail for not following police orders during a pedestrian fatality investigation.
Cops gave a press conference on Thursday, alongside Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg. There was speculation that the charges would be dropped – or even reduced.
Instead, however, officials vowed to ‘to respect the legal process’ and ‘let it play out’, with Scheffler due to be arraigned in court next month on the following charges:
A mugshot of world no 1 Scottie Scheffler following his arrest by Louisville police last Friday
Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel of Kentucky Police spoke at a brief press conference
- Second-degree assault of a police officer, a felony
- Third-degree criminal mischief
- Disregarding traffic signals from an officer directing traffic
In Kentucky, second-degree assault is a Class C felony which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
‘We are all looking to move forward,’ Mayor Greenberg said. ‘But we have to respect the legal process. And that’s what we are going to do. We are going to let that play out.’
During the press conference, police chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel revealed that Detective Bryan Gillis did not turn on his body-worn camera – a violation of police policy.
Officials also released two new videos of the moment Scheffler was put in handcuffs and arrested. They said on Thursday that they are not aware of any footage of the initial interaction between the golf star and police.
In remarkable footage the two-time Masters winner was seen being led into a police car
One video came from a fixed pole camera on Shelbyville Road, while the second came from the dashcam of a police car.
Footage from the pole camera shows the moment Scheffler was stopped by a police officer who appeared to hit his car as he tried to make his way into Valhalla, which seemingly came after his interaction with Gillis.
The two-time Masters champion can then be seen exiting the vehicle and being led away in handcuffs after the incident.
In the dashcam footage, which is over 55 minutes long, the moment which led to Scheffler’s arrest cannot be made out with other vehicles blocking the view, but he is seen being taken away in handcuffs by police at one stage.
Law enforcement also released a ‘body-worn camera failure to record form’, which detailed testimony from Detective Gillis.
‘While directing traffic in front of Gate 1 the PGA personnel stopped a bus from entering Gate 1,’ Gillis wrote.
‘I observed a vehicle traveling in the opposing lanes coming at me. I stopped the driver and advised him he could not proceed because of the bus. (Scheffler) demanded to be let in, and proceeded forward against my directions. I was dragged/knocked down by the driver. I then proceeded to arrest the driver.’
Police said Scheffler failed to comply with instructions and drove away from officer Gillis
Following the short press conference, when neither the mayor nor cops took questions from the media, Scheffler’s attorney released a stinging statement.
‘(This) won’t impact my case at all. Our position is the same as it was last Friday. Scottie Scheffler didn’t do anything wrong, we’re not interested in settling the case, we’ll either try it or it will be dismissed,’ he said.
‘It’s very simple. All the evidence that continues to come out continues to support what Scottie said all along – this was a chaotic situation and a miscommunication and he didn’t do anything wrong.
‘We’re prepared to litigate the case if we need to. If we don’t need to, fine, but our position remains the same: it will either be dismissed or we’ll go to trial… we’ll let the process play out.
He added: ‘My role is to represent Scottie Scheffler and that’s what I’ll continue to do. Nothing has changed since my comment last week: he didn’t do anything wrong. We will go to trial or the case will be dismissed. We have no interest in settling the case, there are no discussions regarding that. We’re prepared to litigate as need be.
Romines was aware of the video which was subsequently released on Thursday. ‘I’ve seen everything that there is to see. Everything out there supports exactly what Scottie has said from the start.’
Scheffler will return to action on the PGA Tour at the Charles Schwab Classic on Thursday
The 27-year-old was accused of failing to stop for police as he attempted to gain entry at a point when they were managing traffic in the wake of a fatal collision between a bus and a member of the tournament’s security staff, John Mills.
The police report said Scheffler failed to comply with instructions and then drove away from an officer, Bryan Gillis, causing him to be dragged along by the two-time Masters winner’s car.
Louisville Metro Police Department said Scheffler was booked on four charges. He was set to be arraigned in a Louisville courtroom on Tuesday but that appearance was rescheduled for June 3.
Scheffler released a statement following his release from jail, which read: ‘This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers.
‘It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do. I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.
‘Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.’