Fort Liard (Aug 04/06) - A Fort Liard band councillor is facing a charge of assault after an incident in Fort Nelson, B.C.

Dennis Nelson was charged with one count of assault stemming from a May 5 incident in the parking lot of the IGA store around 3:10 p.m., said RCMP Const. Dean Boland who was the arresting officer.

RCMP received a call reporting a male and female fighting on store property. When officers arrived on the scene, a man was walking around his vehicle with a woman sitting inside.

After being questioned for a few minutes, the woman said she had been grabbed by her face and hit a few times, said Boland. "There were no visible injuries to the face, but she was very upset."

Nelson pleaded not guilty in B.C. provincial court on July 17.

No date has been set for the trial.

Neither Chief Harry Deneron or Nelson could be reached for comment by press time.