Scottie Scheffler may avoid prosecution after his shocking arrest last Friday at the start of the PGA Championship in Kentucky.
According to a report citing a source familiar with prosecutors’ thinking, the charges against the world’s top-ranked golfer are expected to be dropped by prosecutors.
Scheffler was charged with felony assault on a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding traffic signals after an incident on Friday morning near Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.
He allegedly drove past an officer directing traffic and failed to stop, with the officer getting dragged by Scheffler’s vehicle and suffering injuries.
Despite the serious charges, the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office is leaning toward dismissing the case against the 26-year-old Masters champion “as of now,” per the report by No Laying Up. However, prosecutor Mike O’Connell said in a statement that “no decisions” have officially been made.
“We continue to gather information in the case and will review and proceed accordingly,” O’Connell stated.
Scheffler is scheduled for an arraignment hearing on Tuesday related to the incident. Police claimed the golf star ignored an officer’s traffic directions entering the PGA Championship, resulting in detective Bryan Gillis being dragged and injured.
However, Scheffler released a statement expressing remorse and claiming it was a “chaotic situation” with a “big misunderstanding.” A traffic snarl complicated entry into Valhalla golf course after a fatal accident had occurred earlier that morning.
“I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today,” Scheffler said. “All of us express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away.”
Complicating prosecutors decisions is an apparent lack of video evidence from the encounter. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the officer did not have his body camera activated, and while nearby cameras may have caught something, no footage of the “initial contact” has been found yet.
The final decision on pressing charges remains pending as the county attorney’s office continues reviewing the final details of the high-profile arrest that rocked the golfing world.