Scottie free! All charges against Scheffler dropped
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Fans were immediately on Scottie Scheffler’s side at PGA (David Cannon/Getty Images)
All charges against Scottie Scheffler from a traffic-related encounter during the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, were dropped on Wednesday.
Jefferson County prosecuting attorney Mike O’Connell made the announcement during court proceedings that all four charges against Scheffler — including felony second-degree assault of a police officer — were dropped.
“Mr. Scheffler’s actions do not satisfy the elements of any criminal offenses,’’ O’Connell said, adding that he agreed with Scheffler’s immediate assessment that the entire incident was “a big misunderstanding.’’
“Based on the totality of the evidence, my office cannot move forward on the prosecution of the charges against Mr. Scheffler.’’
It is important to remember that a fatality led to all of the incessant chatter, legal maneuvering, expense and time over the past two weeks associated with the arrest of Scheffler before the second round of the PGA at Valhalla Golf Club.
John Mills was simply trying to get to work at Valhalla that rainy morning in Louisville, crossing a busy street in the dark, when he was struck and killed by a shuttle bus.
That understandably led to enhanced police presence in the area, an investigative situation that led to the road leading to the club being shut down to traffic in both directions before 6 a.m.
Scheffler had an 8:48 a.m. Friday tee time. His goal was to arrive at the club at 5:50 a.m. to begin preparations for the second round of the PGA Championship. He was not aware there was a fatality, only that there was a traffic issue and he was directed to be able to enter the grounds as were others associated closely with the tournament.
And that’s when things got messy.
Scheffler would later call it a “big misunderstanding.” Police detective Bryan Gillis wrote in his report that he was dragged by Scheffler’s car after trying to stop him, that he suffered injuries and that his clothing was damaged.
It seems the truth was closer to Scheffler’s version, which was communicated during a court proceeding on Wednesday in which all four charges were dropped. Gillis, however, is sticking to his version of events of being dragged by Scheffler’s car, sustaining injuries and ruining his $80 pants. He issued this letter in response to Wednesday’s decision by the Jefferson County attorney’s office.