MASCOTTE, Fla. — The city manager of Mascotte is facing a felony battery charge after a confrontation with a city council member during this week's city council meeting, according to a police report.

City Manager Jim Gleason became "irate and out of control" and verbally and physically aggressive toward a city council member during the Wednesday night meeting, according to the report.

Video from the meeting shows Gleason becoming increasingly upset at a conversation, and then flipping someone off seconds before the video ended.

According to the Mascotte Police arrest affidavit, it’s what happened moments later outside the Tedder-Thomas Memorial Civic Center that resulted in Gleason's arrest on a first-degree felony charge.

​It states, “The defendant…focused his anger on the victim [Brenda Brasher] and began threatening her verbally…while poking her on her shoulder in an aggressive manner.”

"I did see Councilmember Brasher come back into the building quite distraught. Her husband was also quite shaken. He’s the fire chief here. He was concerned and upset as well," described Mascotte Mayor Mike Sykes.

Gleason was arrested Wednesday night by Clermont Police and has bonded out of jail.

During an emergency hearing Thursday night, the council unanimously voted to suspend Gleason with pay until his contract ends in October.

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Gleason’s political and professional rivals have chosen to make a false allegation over what was nothing more than a regrettable emotional verbal confrontation," said Gleason's attorney, Mark Longwell, in a statement. "Mr. Gleason takes great comfort in the knowledge that through the judicial process the truth of his innocence will be revealed, and he will be exonerated. Accordingly, Mr. Gleason has filed a plea of not guilty and he has requested a jury trial.​"

Sykes said there's been tension for months between Gleason and Councilmember Brenda Brasher, who is the listed as the victim in the police report. 

Brasher is married to Mascotte Fire Chief Randy Brasher. Earlier this year, the council had discussed making Mascotte's fire department part of Lake County's fire department, a move Gleason supported because it would help improve the city's Insurance Services Office score, which impacts homeowners' insurance rates.

Sykes told us tensions between Gleason and Fire Chief Randy Brasher have been building for months.

"There were a lot of emotions and tensions in meetings where there were shouting matches and engagements between the city manager and fire chief, and the city manager and Councilmember Brasher," explained Sykes.

Council Member Brasher recused herself from those fire department discussions.

Mayor Sykes says they do not have a timeline when they will begin looking for another city manager.

In the meantime, a previous city manager is now temporarily in that position.

We also reached out to Councilmember Brasher and Fire Chief Brasher. Neither has responded.