Authorities are investigating an alleged drunken country club brawl between a former upstate New York mayor and his predecessor, with one claiming he was “body-slammed” into a car.
Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol confirmed to the Daily Sentinel Wednesday that his office took a complaint regarding a clash between Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan and his predecessor, Jim Brown, in the parking lot of Teugega Country Club on Tuesday evening. The city of Rome is located 40 miles east of Syracuse. Both Lanigan and Brown are Republicans.
The two men, who were once close friends, have given drastically different accounts of the alleged altercation.
Brown, who served two terms as Rome’s mayor, claimed that Lanigan assaulted him, which left him with a bloody injury to his arm that had to be treated at a local hospital. Brown argued that the attack was politically motivated, stemming from his criticism of Lanigan in a radio appearance Monday. Prior to the altercation, Brown had spent the day golfing at the club.
“I’m talking to an individual straight like that, ok, and then all of a sudden, I didn’t have time. He (Langian) comes over and body blocks me right into the side of the car. Just boom,” he told CNY Central.
“And then he looks me in the eye and says, ‘We don’t want you here. We don’t want you here.’ Twice.”
In a separate statement to the Sentinel, Brown alleged: “He body-slammed me into the car. He caught me off guard. I didn’t see him coming.”
Brown said that the sheriff’s office has surveillance video gleaned from cameras in the parking lot. Maciol said deputies were “currently obtaining some potential video footage.”
Meanwhile, Langian’s office shot back in a statement Wednesday, claiming that the mayor placed his hands on Brown’s shoulder to get his attention.
The office denied that any physical altercation had taken place and alleged that Brown was “intoxicated.”
“Mr. Brown responded by flailing his arms, and he became verbally aggressive. Recognizing Mr. Brown’s apparent level of intoxication, Mayor Lanigan made the decision to escort him to his designated driver’s vehicle a short distance away for his own safety,” it read.
“While assisting Mr. Brown into the car, the verbal dispute continued. No physical assault occurred, and the situation ended shortly thereafter.”
Brown declared that Langian’s rebuttal is “a lie,” and the current mayor responded that he was “disappointed in Mr. Brown’s recent public outbursts.”
The sheriff’s office anticipates swiftly concluding its investigation and forwarding the findings to the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office for further guidance on any potential charges.
The Independent has contacted the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office for more information.
