A 70-year-old Clinton resident pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge that he pointed a gun at his live-in girlfriend.

Robert Trenchard is facing a domestic violence charge of assault in the second degree in Island County Superior Court.

The 69-year-old alleged victim reported to police that she and Trenchard got into a heated argument on May 21 at their home on Brenden Circle. She returned to their home later in the day and found Trenchard sitting in the living room.

Trenchard pulled out a handgun, pointed it at her and told her he was going to kill her, according to the police report. She was very afraid and ran from the home, the report indicates.

A group of officers arrested Trenchard on suspicion of assault. At the jail, he was given a breath test, which showed he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.12.

A deputy searched the house and recovered a semi-automatic handgun in a nightstand. The gun had a loaded magazine, empty chamber, with the hammer back, the deputy wrote in his report.

“We’re all hopeful that things will work out in a positive fashion,” Trenchard’s attorney, James Frush of Seattle, said.

If convicted of the charge, Trenchard could face from three to nine months in jail under the standard sentencing range.