High ranking police officials in Louisville, Kentucky, have privately voiced concerns that the felony charge against world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler – who reportedly tried to drive around the scene of a fatal crash – is excessive, a source familiar with the discussions told CNN. It’s the first indication some top brass at the Louisville Metro Police Department believe the charges against Scheffler should be reduced.The 27-year-old golfer was attempting to drive to the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club at about 6 a.m. on May 17 when he came to the scene of a fatal crash.
He injured a police officer who was directing traffic and was then detained and arrested, according to police.
Scheffler was charged with felony second-degree assault on a police officer, along with lesser charges of third-degree criminal mischief,
reckless driving and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic, according to Jefferson County court records. He was released from jail and returned to the golf course for his tee time in the second round of the major tournament.In a statement last week, Scheffler said he proceeded as directed and “there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do.”Scheffler’s attorney, Steven Romines, told CNN in a statement Friday he plans to plead not guilty to the charges.During a recent meeting, multiple Louisville police officials discussed the charges against Scheffler, and the group agreed that the felony charge seems excessive given the details of the case, according to the source with firsthand knowledge of the meeting.