Louisville Police Chief Who Charged Scottie Scheffler Resigns After New Controversy Comes to Light
The Kentucky police chief who was in charge when golf champ Scottie Scheffler was arrested last month has resigned.
Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel resigned Tuesday, less than two weeks after being placed on administrative leave over a sexual harassment case, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Her resignation came after a recording was released that seemed to show she promoted a major in the department to a leadership role less than a minute after a female major complained that he had “sexually harassed and attacked” her, according to the report.
Since that incident, two other female LMPD officers filed lawsuits against the department, documenting allegations of sexual harassment in the department, the Courier-Journal reported.
Paul Humphrey will lead the department as interim police chief.
“Humphrey is the sixth person to lead the troubled department since 2020, when longtime chief Steve Conrad was fired by Mayor Greg Fischer for mishandling protests over the police killing of Breonna Taylor,” Louisville Public Media reported.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said Humphrey understands the need to reform the local law enforcement agency.
“He understands that what’s needed for this department to move forward is to continue making improvements, to continue fighting crime and to continue strengthening relationships with the entire community,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg said the department would revise its sexual harassment procedures.
He called the conduct alleged in the lawsuits “unacceptable and inexcusable,” The Associated Press reported.
“Everyone should be treated with respect by their colleagues,” Greenberg added. “And everyone has the responsibility to treat others with respect. That should be true in every workplace.”
Gwinn-Villaroel’s departure came five weeks after the department came under international scrutiny over Scheffler’s arrest by a detective with the LMPD after the star tried to enter the Valhalla Golf Club during the PGA Championship.
Scheffler was detained May 17 after an officer accused him of felony second-degree assault on a police officer for attempting to enter the course after police directing traffic waved him away.
An officer tried to grab Scheffler’s car — which was marked with PGA insignias — and was reportedly dragged a short distance.
Scheffler said he had no idea the man in the yellow safety vest was a police officer, as he did not identify himself as such.
The golf champ called the interaction between him and the LMPD officer a “big misunderstanding” and publicly praised the work law enforcement officers do.
Charges in the case were later dropped and both sides entered into an agreement not to pursue any legal action over the incident.
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