BERKELEY, Mo. – A Berkeley councilwoman says she was justified in driving into her neighbor’s yard. The politician says she won’t pay for damages, claiming she’s the victim.

The bizarre dispute unfolded on Jefferson Avenue in Berkeley where property owner Brad Gulledge is at odds with Councilwoman Rita Crawford-Graham.

Gulledge took a picture of what it looked like Feb. 17, when he says Crawford-Graham drove into his yard.

“Unfortunately, she had gotten stuck, so she had come back in the street and there was huge trenches,” he said.

Gulledge said it’s his investment property and he was just about to put it on the market.

“When there’s tire tracks running through the front yard, that doesn’t exactly have curb appeal,” he said.

Gulledge said he paid $300 to repair the section with sod. The councilwoman is allegedly defiant.

Instead of paying for damages, she wrote on city letterhead why she thinks she was justified. As FOX 2 was working on this report, Crawford-Graham came outside to speak with a news crew in person.

“He’s harassing me and he’s retaliating against me,” she said.

Crawford-Graham said she had to get out of the street for snowplows that day and that she had a stalled vehicle blocking the front of her drive.

When asked why she didn’t use her yard, the councilwoman responded, “Because it was – my yard has a slope and rocks, and I didn’t want to flip over my vehicle.”

Could she have used someone else’s driveway?

“We’re not supposed to park in each other’s driveways without permission,” she said.

Crawford-Graham said she did eventually drive over her yard instead and pointed to her minimal yard damage as evidence she says that her neighbor’s damage wasn’t that bad.

We showed her the picture Gulledge had taken of his yard.

“What he’s made right there is not the picture,” she said. “I’ve got my photos just like he’s got his photos, so that’s a lie. I did not cause the damage. And the lying and the games he’s playing; so, it will end up in court.”

That may end up being the case soon as Berkeley police are also investigating.