Public commenter alleges assault by city councilman, asks whether county authorized attorney's deposition directive

Mr. Steele used the commission's public comment time to allege that a city councilman assaulted him last September and to question how the county has handled subsequent legal steps.

"I was assaulted by city councilman, Matt Franklin, arrested at the entrance to the courthouse," Mr. Steele said, adding that deputies witnessed the incident and that it was "definitely caught on camera" but that video was not provided to his defense. He characterized the arrest as "illegal," saying a police officer cannot arrest someone for a misdemeanor the officer did not personally witness.

Mr. Steele also raised concerns about statements he said were made by county officials regarding the location and security for depositions of county employees. He asked the commission: "Did the county commission authorize him to say this and on what grounds?"

The commission did not take immediate action on the allegations during the public comment period. No county attorney response is recorded on the transcript during the public comment segment; Mr. Steele's claims about the arrest, the missing video and the county attorney's instructions remain allegations in the public record.