The wife of Montana Democratic Sen. Max Baucus has been charged with assaulting another woman following a Tuesday night dispute over mulch at a Washington, D.C., garden center.

On Wednesday, a D.C. Superior Court Judge released Baucus' wife, Wanda, on her personal recognizance and ordered her to stay away from the victim and the garden center.

''It's not exactly clear what happened, but at some point it appears Ms. Baucus was loading bags of mulch in her vehicle," D.C. Metropolitan Police Information Officer Joe Gentile said.

Gentile added that in the process of loading the mulch at Johnson's Garden Center, Wanda Baucus placed a bag of mulch in the path of another woman's car. The other woman's car was then blocked and prevented from backing out.

He said ''words were exchanged," and then Wanda Baucus allegedly assaulted the other woman.

The other woman suffered bruises to the face and scratches on her shoulder, according to Gentile.

Wanda Baucus' attorney said she did not hit the other woman.

''I can't tell you about the incident in detail, but I do feel it is much ado about nothing," attorney David Schertler said. ''There is no basis for a criminal charge. I don't believe a crime was committed."

Schertler said Wanda Baucus did not know the other woman.

He described it as a ''stranger on stranger conflict." He also said, ''Ms. Baucus in no way provoked an incident with the other woman."

Wanda Baucus drove away after the incident and then later returned with her husband. Schertler said that when she left she did not know the police had been called.

''When Ms. Baucus realized the police were involved, she came back immediately," Schertler said.

The incident took place at approximately 6:30 p.m. and Wanda Baucus was charged with simple assault, which is a misdemeanor, according to Gentile. After spending the night at her home in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., she turned herself in at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.

Schertler said a court date of May 10 has been set.

''At the appropriate time we may well ask for the charges to be dismissed," Schertler said.

Schertler said Wanda Baucus has no previous criminal record.

Sen. Baucus released a statement on Wednesday, saying, ''There was a situation involving Wanda last night. We're trying to sort it out, going through the proper channels. I stand by her 110 percent and she has my full support."

This is not the first time Wanda Baucus has attracted media attention recently. A year ago, she was the subject of a gossip column in The Washington Post, after she posted a ''Peace is Patriotic" sign in the window of their Georgetown home.

''I want the people in Iraq to have peace -- the people whose lives are in turmoil because of the war, the children, their mothers, the farmers, the grandmothers and even the camels that are out grazing," Wanda Baucus told gossip columnist Lloyd Grove.

She is a painter and anthropologist and also expressed concerns about cultural artifacts.

''When we watch the bombing on television, we really don't seem to understand or appreciate that some of these places are sacred. . . . I disagree with those who say that Saddam Hussein doesn't think about this," Wanda Baucus told Grove. ''He cares about these places and their people."

Wanda Baucus is the senator's second wife and they have been married for 21 years. He has a son, Zeno, from the first marriage.