The first court date for world No. 1 ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler in his assaulting a police officer case has been delayed until June, according to court records.
Scheffler was originally scheduled to appear Tuesday morning in Jefferson District Court for an arraignment. Court records now show the arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. June 3.
Scheffler is facing charges of second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from police officers directing traffic, according to court records. He is accused of injuring a police officer while ignoring traffic directions early Friday morning outside Valhalla Golf Club, the site of last week’s PGA Championship.
Scheffler’s arrest citation says he refused to comply with Detective Bryan Gillis’ commands and accelerated forward, dragging Gillis to the ground. Gillis suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knee and was transported to a local hospital. His uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair, sources said.
Scheffler’s attorney, Steve Romines, disputed the account given in the police report and said Scheffler was following the instructions of another officer who had told him to go around stopped traffic, according to WLKY.
“There was never at any time, did the officer stop him, he disregard, accelerate, any of those things,” WLKY reported Romines as saying.
Extra officers were in the area directing traffic due to a fatal pedestrian collision. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the 69-year-old victim as John C. Mills of Crestwood and said he died from blunt force injuries.
Scheffler released a statement to ESPN in which he expressed condolences to the family of the man who died and said he “never intended to disregard any of the instructions.” He called the incident a “big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do.”
Scheffler, a 27-year-old Texas native, was arrested and booked into jail but released shortly afterward on his own personal recognizance. He was able to make his second round tee time, where he fired a 5-under-par 66 and left the course Friday afternoon tied for second place.
Scheffler finished the tournament in a tie for eighth place at 13-under-par.
On Saturday, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg told Louisville media Gillis’ body-worn camera was either not activated or he was not wearing it during the incident. Greenberg told WDRB investigators have not found any video of the initial contact between Gillis and Scheffler.
Additionally, the mayor told the Louisville Courier-Journal there was a “fixed camera” across the street during the arrest and the footage from that camera will be released at a later date.
The Louisville Metro Police Department confirmed the accuracy of Greenberg’s statements to the Herald-Leader.
Source Agencies
