Scottie Scheffler’s Legal Saga Continues: Officer Disciplined for Body Camera Violation
In a recent press conference, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel confirmed that the police officer involved in the arrest of golfer Scottie Scheffler has been disciplined for not activating his body camera. The charges against Scheffler, however, are still pending.
The incident occurred last Friday morning outside Valhalla Golf Club, where Scheffler was preparing for the second round of the PGA Championship. Detective Bryan Gillis, the arresting officer, failed to turn on his body camera during the encounter, which is a breach of Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) policy. According to the policy, officers must have their body cameras on during all law enforcement activities and encounters.
Mayor Greenberg stated, “Detective Gillis should have turned on his body camera, but he did not. It was a failure of policy.” Chief Gwinn-Villaroel added that Gillis violated two internal policies, resulting in disciplinary action, which includes marks on his record.
Despite this, the charges against Scheffler—second-degree assault of a police officer, criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding traffic signals—remain. Scheffler was arrested after allegedly driving past a police officer’s instructions, leading to an altercation where Officer Gillis claimed he was dragged by Scheffler’s car. Scheffler’s lawyer, Steve Romines, disputes this, stating it was a misunderstanding and that Scheffler was following directions from another officer.
Romines argued, “Scottie is alleged to have disregarded a different officer’s traffic signals resulting in these charges. Multiple eyewitnesses confirmed he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed.”
Scheffler’s arraignment, initially set for May 21, has been postponed to June 3. Romines maintains that Scheffler will plead not guilty and anticipates that the charges will either be dismissed or go to trial. “We’re not interested in settling,” Romines said. “Scottie Scheffler didn’t do anything wrong.”
Following his arrest, Scheffler returned to Valhalla and shot an impressive second-round 66, though the stress of the situation affected his subsequent performance. He finished the tournament tied for eighth and is currently competing in the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas.
As the legal process unfolds, Scheffler and his team remain confident in his innocence, awaiting further developments in court.