LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Attorneys agreed in court on Wednesday to drop all of the charges against professional golfer Scottie Scheffler 12 days after his arrest.
"Mr. Scheffler's characterization that this was 'a big misunderstanding' is corroborated by the evidence," Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said. "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."
In a statement, Scheffler said he's ready to move on from the "misfortunate understanding."
"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."
Scheffler's attorney, Steve Romines, said he is pleased the case was dismissed with prejudice, adding that he was prepared to more forward with litigation if needed.
He said there are "absolutely grounds" for a lawsuit against Louisville Metro Police (LMPD), but Scheffler doesn't want to be involved in one.
Romines said it would be a "distraction" and Scheffler also doesn't want Louisville taxpayers to pay him if they won the case.
"Litigation doesn't change what the police do. We can sue them and continually bring those litigations, but it doesn't change," he said. "[Scottie] wishes to move forward from this case."
Romines called the incident the "most stressful situation" of Scheffler's life. He said during the interrogation, the officer was asking Scheffler "leading questions and trying to get him to agree with them."
"I think everybody sees something like this happen and realizes they're one wrong turn or running into the wrong person away from going to jail themselves," he said. "That's why you don't talk to the police because they are going to try and put words in your mouth and that's exactly what they did."
As to whether or not Scheffler would come back to Louisville to play a tournament, Romines addressed this head-on. He said if it's a tournament "worthy" of Scheffler playing in it, he will play it.
"However, we don't have any of those as it stands now," Romines said. "I don't think this has had such an effect on Scottie that he says 'I'm never coming back to Louisville again'. If there's another major championship played in Louisville, I'm sure Scottie Scheffler will play it."
Romines said he would like to see LMPD release a public apology, but "public apologies are hard to come by from the police."
LMPD issued a response to the court's decision saying:
“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. 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."
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