Scottie Scheffler’s arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
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No matter rating Scottie Scheffler posts on Sunday on the PGA Championship, there’s little question what his attorneys will document for him on Tuesday.
“We’ll be pleading not responsible,” Steve Romines instructed GOLF.com in a phone interview Friday night.
Romines, a outstanding Louisville-based protection lawyer, is representing Scheffler in a case that exploded into nationwide headlines after the world’s top-ranked golfer was arrested Friday morning whereas driving to Valhalla Golf Membership to organize for his second spherical of the event.
The incident occurred amid a site visitors jam brought on by a deadly accident a couple of mile away, by which a event volunteer was struck and killed by a shuttle bus. In response to the police report, Scheffler, in an try to bypass the bottleneck, pulled across the congestion into an adjoining lane, the place Detective Bryan Gillis of the Louisville Metro Police was directing site visitors. Gillis mentioned that he stopped Scheffler and tried to provide him directions, however that Scheffler “refused to conform and accelerated ahead, dragging (him) to the bottom.”
Whereas many particulars across the incident stay murky, this a lot is evident: Scheffler was arrested and brought to the Louisville Metro Division of Corrections and slapped with 4 prices — three driving-related misdemeanors and second-degree assault of a police provide, a felony — earlier than being launched in time to make his Friday morning begin. In an announcement, Scheffler mentioned that he had been “continuing as directed by police gives” and that the incident stemmed from a “massive misunderstanding of what I believed I used to be being requested to do. I by no means meant to ignore any of the directions.”
Subsequent up in Scheffler’s authorized drama is an arraignment, slated for Tuesday morning, although that would change if any conflicts come up for the events concerned.
Not like trials, arraignments should not a possibility to current detailed proof. There are usually “perfunctory” proceedings, Romines mentioned, by which the defendant — or the defendant’s lawyer — enters a plea and awaits the decide’s ruling.
Romines mentioned that he and his staff will enter a “not responsible” plea for Scheffler on all 4 prices, however that he doesn’t anticipate a same-day resolution by the decide.
Why was Scottie Scheffler arrested? Right here’s what police say occurred
“Extra doubtless it is going to be a matter days,” Romines mentioned, at which level, certainly one of two issues will occur.
“Both the decide will dismiss the fees, or we’ll go to trial.”
Within the meantime, Romines mentioned that he and his staff will proceed gathering proof, together with eyewitness accounts and police body-cam footage, which he mentioned that regulation enforcement “usually had 30 to 45 days” after an arraignment to provide.
Prosecutors have the choice of dropping all prices earlier than the arraignment. However that might be “an uncommon prevalence,” mentioned Kevin Worth, a Louisville-based prison protection lawyer.
Essentially the most severe cost in opposition to Scheffler — second-degree assault — may end up in a jail sentence of 5 to 10 years. To earn that conviction, prosecutors must set up that Scheffler both deliberately induced severe harm to a different individual, or that he wantonly did so, that means that he dedicated an act with reckless disregard for one more individual.
Romines mentioned that was clearly not the case.
“Scottie didn’t deliberately do something mistaken,” he mentioned. “He was doing precisely what they instructed him to do.”
