May 3—RAY CITY — A Ray City councilman was arrested on assault charges Tuesday for an April incident involving the police chief, authorities said.

Wesley Dorman Benefield, 72, of Ray City was arrested and booked into the Berrien County Jail on charges of disorderly conduct and simple assault, Berrien County Sheriff Ray Paulk said. He was booked and released on bond the same night, Paulk said.

The incident took place about 1 p.m., April 5, a police report shows.

Police Chief Steven Miller said he went to a home on North Street to talk with the residents about a new city ordinance regarding camper trailers but didn't have a copy of the ordinance on him, according to the report.

He went back to the police office to get the paperwork, but when he returned to the home, Benefield was there, police said.

When the chief attempted to give the ordinance to the woman of the house, the councilman asked if it was his copy; Miller said "No, it's hers" and handed it to the woman, who noticed it had the council's signatures on the back, the report said.

The woman said the councilman told her that the police chief and the mayor created the ordinance to harass her and her family, according to the report.

The councilman became loud and aggressive, shouting insults in Miller's face and saying he was trying to get rid of the chief, the police report stated. The chief got in his car to leave but Benefield stuck his head in the patrol car window; Miller drove away to get away from the councilman, according to the report.

"After reviewing the options due to this incident involving a sitting council member, I consulted with the magistrate judge and after the conversation I applied for a warrant for simple assault and disorderly conduct," the police statement reads. The report was prepared by an officer other than Chief Miller.

None of the claims in the report have been independently verified.

Attempts to reach Benefield and the attorney for Ray City were unsuccessful Wednesday.

Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.