Police assault charges dropped against top golfer Scottie Scheffler – Firstpost

Kentucky prosecutors on Wednesday dropped all charges against prominent golfer Scottie Scheffler, who was arrested after allegedly ignoring police during a traffic stop outside the U.S. PGA Championship.

Scheffler, 27, was handcuffed and taken away by police during the predawn incident on May 17, before having his photo taken in an orange jumpsuit, then returning from jail to the Valhalla course and taking the departure for his second round.

Scheffler reportedly drove onto a sidewalk near the course entrance after police staged a traffic stop due to another traffic accident in which a local man working at the tournament was killed.

A police report says Scheffler disobeyed orders to stop his car and sped off, knocking Officer Bryan Gillis to the ground, who was hospitalized with bruising and swelling. Scheffler’s lawyers denied that Gillis was dragged by the golfer’s vehicle.

On Wednesday, Jefferson County Prosecutor Mike O’Connell filed a motion in court to dismiss all charges against Scheffler and the judge agreed.

O’Connell told the court that the evidence against Scheffler did not meet the standard of probable cause.

“Based on the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward with the prosecution of the charges against Mr. Scheffler,” O’Connell said.

Scheffler, for his part, reacted with relief in a press release published on Instagram.

“I have no ill will toward Officer Gillis. I want to put this incident behind me and move on, and I hope he does the same,” Scheffler said.

“Police officers have a difficult job and I hold them in high regard. This was a serious communication problem in a chaotic situation.

“Big misunderstanding”

Scheffler had been charged with felony assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to obey the signals of a traffic officer.

His lawyer, Steve Romines, denied any wrongdoing, adding that Scheffler was driving a marked player’s vehicle when he received mixed signals from traffic stop officers.

Romines had emphasized that his client would fight the charges and that he was “not interested in any sort of settlement negotiation or anything.”

On the morning of his arrest, world number one Scheffler issued a statement saying “there was a big misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do.”

O’Connell told the Louisville court that Scheffler’s allegation of misunderstanding “is supported by the evidence.”

Fans cheered when Scheffler entered the course and gave him a standing ovation before hitting his first shot.

Current Masters champion Scheffler, who finished the US PGA tournament in a four-way tie for eighth place, said the day after his arrest: “I was shaking. I would say in shock and fear.

The officer who arrested Scheffler was reprimanded for not turning on his body camera during the arrest, the local police chief said this week.