GARDINER — A one-time city councilor faces several charges after he used a high-powered rifle Wednesday night to blast away at his girlfriend’s truck as she stood nearby, police said.

Allie Vigue, 58, who was on the City Council in the 1990s, faces charges of aggravated reckless conduct, a class B felony, and criminal mischief, said Gardiner Police Chief James Toman said Thursday. Vigue was being held Thursday at the Kennebec County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail.

Vigue was arrested around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday outside his Allie’s Way home.

Police were called to a domestic dispute at Vigue’s home Wednesday night.

The girlfriend’s identification was withheld by police because she is the alleged victim of domestic violence. Police said the two had separated.

There was nobody in the truck when Vigue shot it, but the woman was nearby — close enough to potentially be struck by a ricocheted bullet, Toman said.

“That’s what made it aggravated reckless conduct,” he said. “The potential was there for her to have been injured.”

Gardiner police, including Kennebec County sheriff’s deputies, converged on Vigue’s home.

Toman said Vigue initially refused to respond to police attempts to contact him via telephone and on a loudspeaker. Officers were leery because of Vigue’s reported use of a weapon earlier in the evening, but Toman stopped short of calling it a standoff.

“All of the officers present took a very cautious approach,” he said. “He wasn’t acknowledging our presence.”

Toman said Vigue didn’t respond to several requests to come out of his house, but it was unclear whether Vigue heard police calling him over the loudspeaker. When Toman called out to Vigue a fourth time he came out and was arrested without ncident, Toman said.

“When he finally acknowledged we were there, he followed the directions and came down to us,” Toman said.

Vigue was not armed when he came out of the house, Toman said.

“We didn’t know what this was going to turn out to be, so obviously it was taken seriously to minimize the potential of anyone getting hurt,” Toman said. “Thankfully, nobody was.”

Vigue was sentenced to 48 hours in jail in 2004 after a jury found he violated a protective order Dec. 18, 2003, in Augusta.

Craig Crosby — 621-5642

ccrosby@centralmaine.com