The Scottie Scheffler case involving the alleged assault of a Louisville police officer returned to court for a Wednesday hearing

CNN
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Kentucky's top county prosecutor and attorney for world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler will speak at a court hearing Wednesday, 12 days after the PGA Tour star was arrested while trying to circumvent the scene of a fatal accident on her way to the PGA Championship in Louisville.

Jefferson County Prosecutor Mike O'Connell will address the court at 1 p.m. ET while attorney Steve Romines will appear on behalf of Scheffler, who lives in Texas and has permission to miss this hearing. only recently appeared in the court docket.

Josh Abner, O'Connell's spokesman, declined to comment on the subject of Wednesday's hearing. Last week, Scheffler's arraignment was delayed until June 3.

Romines reiterated to CNN on Tuesday that Scheffler's position is that the charges should be dismissed or he will go to trial without a plea deal. The Louisville-based attorney would not say whether a resolution has been reached or whether the charges will be dropped Wednesday. He scheduled a press conference just 30 minutes after the hearing began.

Scheffler, 27, faces several charges, including second-degree assault on a police officer suspected of dragging a police officer with his car as he arrived at Valhalla Golf Club early on the morning of May 17. degree of criminal mischief, reckless driving and failure to obey signals of officers directing traffic, according to Jefferson County court records. The date of the indictment was postponed at the request of his lawyer.

Scheffler called the incident a “big misunderstanding” and Romines said his client would plead not guilty. CNN spoke to police department sources who said some officials believe the charges should be reduced.

The prosecutor's office said Thursday it was still reviewing evidence and questioning investigators about the charges.

The golfer's arrest was a dramatic upset for the PGA Championship, given that Scheffler – a new father who one golf writer described as an honest and “squeaky clean” player – was the heavy favorite after winning his second Masters title last month. He finally finished eight shots behind the winner, Xander Schauffele, to share eighth place.

“I did my best to put this behind me and come here to compete and do what I love, and the support I've received from the fans has been incredible,” Scheffler told reporters on May 19, after the tournament. “I think they cheered really loudly for me this week, and I got a lot of support from the players and caddies as well.”

The arrest occurred around 6 a.m. on May 17, when Scheffler was trying to get to Valhalla Golf Club for the second round of the major golf tournament and ran into heavy traffic near the scene of a fatal accident .

Earlier in the morning, a pedestrian – John Mills, 69, whose family said he enjoyed working security in Valhalla – was fatally struck by a bus as he tried to cross the main road leading to the route, Louisville police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said. As a result, police presence increased around the course entrance.

Scheffler – driving a courtesy vehicle marked for players, according to ESPN – was attempting to access the course when he was stopped by a police officer wearing a full police uniform and a reflective yellow rain jacket, according to a police report from Louisville. The officer, Detective Bryan Gillis, stopped Scheffler and attempted to give instructions.

“The subject refused to comply and accelerated, pulling Detective Gillis to the ground,” the report states.

The detective suffered pain, swelling and cuts to his left wrist and knee and was taken to the hospital for further treatment, the report states. His uniform pants, worth about $80, “were damaged beyond repair,” the report added.

At a news conference last week in which video of the incident was released, Louisville Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said the detective did not turn on his body camera and that “remedial action for policy violations” had been taken.

Scheffler was detained and arrested, but he was later released from jail and returned to the golf course for his tee time four hours later. In a statement shared May 17 on his Instagram account, Scheffler said he thought he was following the officers' instructions.

“This morning, I was following the instructions of the police. It was a very chaotic situation, which is understandable given the tragic accident that happened earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding about what I thought I was being asked to do,” he said. declared. “I never intended to ignore any of the instructions.”

Romines, Scheffler's attorney, also said his client “did nothing wrong,” citing accounts from several eyewitnesses.

“He stopped immediately after being directed toward him and at no time did he assault any officer with his vehicle,” Romines said in an earlier statement. “We will plead not guilty and plead this case if necessary.”

Despite spending part of his morning in a jail cell and having his photo taken in an orange jumpsuit, Scheffler played well on May 17 and shot 5 under par, leaving him near the top of the ranking. But he struggled the next day, leaving himself with too much ground to make up to land a second straight major.

As for his apparent legal troubles, the golfer wasn't sure what came next, telling reporters on May 19, “I think everything is up in the air.” »

“I think I will be able to go home tonight but we will see when I leave here,” he said. “I didn’t really have a chance to assess the situation off the course.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

CNN's Steve Almasy, Gloria Pazmino, Jill Martin, Jack Bantock, Eric Levenson, Ray Sanchez and Andy Rose contributed to this report.