A Gallatin man  claims city officials are forcefully medicating him by allowing the use of flouride in drinking water.

Patrick Reeners made the claim in a lawsuit filed July 21 against the Gallatin City Council and the superintendent of the city’s water department. The suit was filed with the U. S. Court for the Middle Tennessee District.

Reeners, who signed the lawsuit and does not have an attorney listed, claims drinking water produced by the city of Gallatin has hazardously high levels of fluoride, the chemical substance added to prevent cavities and reduce tooth decay.

The city adds “toxic waste” to the drinking water with negligence to the harm it causes to the public, “especially the infant children who are overdosed from forced medication,” the lawsuit alleges.

Gallatin’s 2015 water quality report found no violation of contaminants.

Further, Reeners claimed city officials say fluoride is used in water, but add sodium fluorosilicate instead, which is “severely more toxic form of fluoride.”,” the claim alleges.

Reeners did not return calls for comment.

Reeners says he openly spoke at City Hall meetings about his “love and serious concern” about of the water. Reeners claims he was forced to file the suit after “hundreds if not thousands of emails and tens of thousands of calls” to health departments’ child abuse hotlines.

After “yet another plea” to the city council, Reeners claims he was “kidnapped” or arrested on July 21, 2015. Reeners claims he was falsely arrested, imprisoned and maliciously prosecuted. He was convicted of disorderly conduct and public intoxication in the matter, , court records show.

Reeners, however, argued police stalked him, falsified testimony, used hearsay, lied and charged him without proof.

“Smelling like alcohol is not illegal,” Reeners alleges. “The plaintiff was raped of his freedom, put in a cage and a ransom was put on his freedom.”

Reeners asks for nominal, punitive and compensatory damages determined during a jury trial.

Among the 23 defendants listed are police Chief Chief Don Bandy, police officers Caleb Hammock, Glen Rager and Pete Richies, District Attorney Ray Whitley, prosecutor Thomas Dean, Public Utilities Superintendent David Gregory and council members.