A Libby man pleaded not guilty in Lincoln County District Court on Oct. 17 that he injured his wife during a domestic incident earlier this month.

Leslie Clyde Hall, 46, is charged with one felony count of partner or family member assault, third offense, and one misdemeanor count of criminal destruction of tampering with a communication device.

Hall appeared on video from the county jail. His next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19.

According to the charging document filed by Lincoln County Deputy Attorney Jeff Zwang, Libby Police Officer Joshua Brabo wrote in a report that he was called to a residence on Commerce Way for an incident that began as a verbal argument and escalated to a physical assault.

The alleged victim said her right hand was injured after Hall forcibly removed her cell phone from her hands, according to the charging document. Medical personnel from Libby Volunteer Ambulance responded to the scene and confirmed the injury to her right hand, according to Officer Brabo.

The alleged victim also told Brabo that she was attempting to call law enforcement to report a criminal offense. Brabo wrote in his report that Hall allegedly admitted to forcibly removing the phone from the woman’s hand during the dispute and rendering the device inaccessible.

Brabo also reported that Hall had three previous domestic violence convictions, including two in Spokane, Washington in 2009 and 2011 and one in Coeur d’Alene in 2011.

A conviction on the assault charge could result in a maximum sentence of five years in the Montana State Prison. On the misdemeanor charge, the maximum sentence is six months in the county jail.