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BRIGHAM CITY (AP) - Brigham City Councilwoman Ruth Jensen has filed a police report, alleging Mayor Dennis Fife assaulted her by grabbing her arm during a heated argument after a meeting.
Police say an outside police agency will investigate Jensen's claims that Fife grabbed her by the arm and held her in place while yelling at her Wednesday night.
Fife disputes Jensen's account of the incident and says it's being blown out of proportion.
Their dispute stems from a meeting of mayors and council members from Brigham City, Perry and Willard to consider which of two planning associations to join.
When Jensen said during the meeting that she and two colleagues preferred going with one of the associations, Fife said that wasn't true and the council leaned toward the other association.
The mayor is accused of grabbing Jensen's arm when she confronted him after the meeting about his remarks.
She immediately said, 'Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me.' There was no intent to harm her, and I didn't grab her.
–Mayor Dennis Fife
Fife said that during the meeting, Jensen made an inappropriate comment that three Brigham City council members had decided to vote for one of the two planning associations. He responded by saying that Jensen doesn't represent the city council.
After the meeting, Fife said, Jensen walked up to him, yelled and accused him of calling her a liar. He then placed his hand on her arm as a reflex, he said.
"She immediately said, 'Don't touch me. Don't ever touch me,'" Fife told the Standard-Examiner. "There was no intent to harm her, and I didn't grab her."
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