A West Des Moines man allegedly slapped the leg of a West Des Moines woman Saturday after relapsing in the course of a domestic dispute.
Nolan Scott Van Court, 37, of 860 S. 68th St., West Des Moines, was charged with first-offense domestic abuse assault-bodily injury or mental illness.
The incident began about 3:45 p.m. Saturday in the 800 block of S. 68th Street, where officers of the West Des Moines Police Department responded to a report of a domestic disturbance.
The officers made contact with the victim, who told the officers that Van Court “had relapsed and become aggressive while drinking,” according to court records.
The victim told the officers that Van Court allegedly “open-handedly slapped her across the leg and bent her fingers (on her left hand) backwards, causing her pain,” according to court records.
The officers observed on the victim “a red mark on her left leg” that “also appeared to have fingerprint marks,” according to court records.
Van Court told the officers that “he had relapsed,” but he “denied any physical contact with the victim,” according to court records.
Van Court is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 5 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
