A Brookfield village trustee, unhappy with the playing conditions at a Kiwanis Park baseball diamond, filed a battery complaint against a local Little League official after the man reportedly bumped him during an argument in front of two teams of players and their parents Saturday night.

Michael Towner, who is serving his second term on the village board, says Little League Vice President Dennis Meehan was trying to intimidate him when he poked Towner in the chest during the confrontation. Meehan says it was Towner who was the bully, calling the trustee’s behavior the worst he’s ever seen.

“The only reason I felt compelled to comment on this situation is because I coach many youth sports teams and have for years and this is the worst behavior of any adult I have ever witnessed,” said Meehan in an email to the Landmark on Monday.

“I am hoping that Mr. Towner, in the future, will think twice before pursuing, in front of children, whatever hidden agenda he has. I do not know why Mr. Towner chose me to try and bully personally, nor do I know why he chooses to try and tarnish my reputation.”

The incident will receive a hearing on May 26 in front of the village adjudicator. Towner chose to file a local ordinance complaint against Meehan rather than a criminal complaint.

“I wanted to downplay it, but those things shouldn’t happen in our parks,” said Towner in a phone interview Monday.

According to Brookfield police, the incident began when Towner, who coaches his son’s minor league team, arrived at Gav Field in Kiwanis Park for an 8 p.m. game on Saturday, May 14.

Meehan was coaching another game, which was in progress on that field. The rain-soaked field was in bad shape, Towner said, and a parent from Meehan’s team asked him why games were being played on such an unsafe field.

“I assumed because I’m a trustee they wanted me to do something,” Towner said.

Towner confronted Meehan, a Little League official, and asked why the game hadn’t been called. The discussion became a loud argument.

“Maybe both of us started yelling, not realizing we were doing it,” Towner said.

Meehan described Towner as angry and threatening in complaining about the field conditions.

“Mr. Towner approached me in an angry and threatening way during a game in which I was coaching and he was not involved,” Meehan stated. “I, like all the spectators close by, was perplexed as to where this anger was coming from and why it was directed at me personally since I was not directly involved with the decision to play on this field.”

The two men broke off their argument and Towner called Village President Michael Garvey.

“I asked him when do we as village officials shut these games down because the fields are unsafe,” Towner said.

Garvey, who was en route to the field to watch his own son play a game, was reluctant to get involved.

“I suggested he have the league look at the field, and if he was uncomfortable with his son playing as parent, then he could go home,” said Garvey.

After Meehan’s game, Towner and another coach walked on to the field and discussed the conditions. At that point, the stories diverge. Towner says that Meehan “came barreling” up to him, bumping him and poking him in the chest.

Meehan says that it was Towner who came towards him and that he put up his hands to calm Towner down.

“I pointed my finger at him and said stop, at which time his shoulder touched my finger and we lightly bumped into each other,” said Meehan. “He said, ‘Now you’ve hit me; let’s see what the police have to say.’ He dialed his phone and I removed myself from the area, shocked and confused, but mostly saddened by the fact that there were young kids around.”

Towner spoke to police that evening, but did not file a complaint against Meehan until the following day. Towner said he struggled with pursuing the complaint but did so “because of the way he made contact with me.”

“Thinking about this incident, what is anyone doing when they go chest to chest and start poking another adult in anger? They are trying to intimidate that person or provoke escalation,” Towner said in a follow-up email. “They are bullying. Is that behavior we want to just brush off?”

Meehan considers the charge “frivolous.”

“I have no idea why Mr. Towner feels it necessary to do my reputation harm,” said Meehan. “I wonder about an elected village trustee who cannot control his anger and temper when in front of 9- and 10-year-olds.”