The Louisville police chief involved in the shocking arrest of Scottie Scheffler has been forced to resign from her post.
Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel handed in her notice this week after being suspended over the mishandling of a sexual harassment claim about an officer.
The claim came at a time during which the department was under much scrutiny over its handling of the case against the world’s No. 1 golfer.
Scheffler was attempting to enter Valhalla Golf Course for the second round of the PGA Championship when he was stopped by officers and, in a surreal scene, Scheffler was arrested.
Following a fatal crash outside Valhalla Golf Club involving John Mills, an employee of a tournament vendor, Scheffler allegedly attempted to circumvent traffic and was stopped by a police officer. The actions that followed led to the golfer being arrested and charged.
The officer that charged Scheffler was disciplined for not having his body-cam activated.
The Jefferson Country attorney’s office announced earlier this month that it would not pursue any of the four charges against Scheffler, the most serious of which was a felony charge of assaulting a police officer.
In the weeks following the high-profile incident involving Scheffler, the department was thrown into turmoil by sexual harassment allegations. Last week, two female officers filed lawsuits alleging they were sexually harassed by fellow officers in recent years.
On Tuesday, Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg said the conduct alleged in the lawsuits was “unacceptable and inexcusable.”
“Everyone should be treated with respect by their colleagues,” Greenberg said. “And everyone has the responsibility to treat others with respect. That should be true in every workplace.”
Gwinn-Villaroel became the third full-time Louisville police chief to resign or be fired since 2020, when officers fatally shot Breonna Taylor during a botched drug raid.
According to reports, Gwinn-Villaroel was suspended for mishandling a complaint brought by Major Shannon Lauder against a fellow police major.
Lauder reported it to Gwinn-Villaroel during meeting in May, but it’s claimed officer Brian Kuriger was promoted by Gwinn-Villaroel just one minute after he was accused of sexual harassment.
As for Scheffler, he has been carrying on alright.
Last weekend, he won the Travelers Championship in a playoff against Tom Kim. It wasn’t without controversy, however, as protesters stormed the 18th green as Scheffler was getting ready to putt.