An Arnold man, who is prohibited from having a gun because of his criminal record, is charged with pointing a gun at a woman and choking her.
Arnold police charged Michael Guin, 23, on Tuesday with aggravated assault, strangulation and simple assault.
The victim and a state probation officer reported the incident at the police station on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint. The woman had contacted police after the alleged assault on Monday, but did not want to report it then because she feared retaliation.
The woman said she and Guin were at her residence when they started arguing over $60 that he had lent to her a few days before, according to the complaint.
During the argument, the woman said Guin put his hands around her neck and squeezed, causing her to get dizzy and light headed.
The woman told police that during the assault, Guin later grabbed a pistol and “racked” it. She said he pointed the gun directly at her, causing her to be in fear for her life.
The woman said Guin calmed down a short time later and was sitting down as if he was going to clean the gun when police started knocking at the door. Police gave the woman a ride to her mother’s residence.
According to police, Guin was convicted of theft in 2016, and of criminal trespass as a juvenile in 2013, making him ineligible to carry or possess a firearm, which would also violate his probation or parole.
Guin did not have an attorney listed in court records.
He was arraigned before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr., and sent to Westmoreland County Prison on $25,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 4.
