"I hold no ill will toward Officer Gillis": Scottie Scheffler releases statement after getting his charges dropped by Louisville PD
Scottie Scheffler had the charges against him dropped by the city of Louisville today. After the arrest and the delayed arraignment, footage surfaced that many believed would cause the prosecution to reconsider, but they didn't at the time. When even more footage showed up from the conversation between the golfer and an officer after the incident, the charges were dropped hours later.
Today, Scheffler posted on social media that he was informed by his attorney, Steve Romines, that all charges were formally dismissed regarding the now infamous arrest outside of Valhalla Golf Club at the PGA Championship on May 17.
He wrote on his Instagram story:
"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 then thanked everyone for their support over the past couple of weeks and implored everyone to remember the biggest issue that transpired that day, which was not his arrest. The tragedy that caused the traffic incident killed John Mills, and Scheffler's thoughts and prayers are with the family.
The world number one golfer hoped to personally offer his condolences and said that he hopes Mills rests in peace. Now that the entire situation is behind him, Scheffler can focus on what's in front of him: more good golf.
Louisville attorney discusses Scottie Scheffler's dropped charges
Scottie Scheffler was initially charged with a laundry list of offenses, including criminal mischief and assault of a police officer. Some of the charges carried serious penalties, but they've all been dropped as of May 29.
Jefferson County attorney Mike O’Connell said via On3 that he understood both parties:
“Detective Gillis was concerned for public safety at the scene when he initiated contact. However, Mr. Scheffler’s actions and the evidence surrounding the exchange misunderstanding do not satisfy the evidence of any criminal offenses. For these reasons, Judge, I now tender to the court a motion of order to dismiss the charges against Mr. Scheffler with prejudice.”
He noted that the totality of evidence indicated the city of Louisville didn't need to move forward with the charges. The fact that Scheffler's actions didn't imply criminality also helped.
Romines and Scottie Scheffler's legal team had said that they wouldn't settle out of court had it proceeded, so the city may have been looking at a lengthy trial situation that would have drawn out and cost them a lot of money. With lackluster evidence, they decided not to pursue it at all.