CHELSEA — A Royalton police officer is facing criminal charges of domestic violence and has been placed on paid administrative leave from his job.

Jakob Oliver, 31, of Woodstock, entered not guilty pleas Monday afternoon in Orange County Superior criminal court in Chelsea to charges of domestic assault, second-degree unlawful restraint and interference with access to emergency services.

He was released on conditions, including that he stay away from the woman he is charged with assaulting.

Oliver represented himself at his arraignment, telling Judge Daniel Richardson that the attorney he had hired was busy in another court and couldn’t make it to the proceeding. In an interview before the court hearing, Oliver strongly denied the charges against him.

Vermont State Police stated in a press release late Friday night that it had issued a citation to Oliver to appear in court Monday to face an arraignment on the charges.

State police said the charges stem from incidents that took place between late August and early this month. The investigation began Thursday following a request from Randolph Police Chief Scott Clouatre.

“Investigators determined that Oliver was physically violent with a person with whom he was involved in a relationship; prevented the victim from calling emergency services; and restricted her ability to leave,” state police said in the press release. “The victim subsequently reported the situation to Chief Clouatre and obtained a relief-from-abuse order against Oliver.”

VTDigger does not generally name victims of domestic violence without their consent.

A state police affidavit filed in support of the criminal charges against Oliver and made public late Monday afternoon said that on Aug. 24 Oliver and the woman had an argument and that he held her down on her bed and refused to allow her to get up.

Also that night, the woman told investigators, Oliver had grabbed her wrists causing her pain and bruising, and threw her cellphone, smashing it. The woman reported that at one point that night Oliver had pointed the barrel of a gun at his head and threatened to shoot himself, the affidavit stated. “(The woman) advised she felt fearful for herself and Jakob because she did not know what he was capable of,” the filing stated.

Oliver was served with the relief from abuse order Thursday and consented to a search of his residence for firearms, the affidavit stated. During the search, according to the filing, police seized an AR-15 rifle.

“Officers located safes which Jakob refused to provide the combinations for,” the filing stated.

Police seized the safes, and a later search of them revealed ammunition, including two handgun magazines, according to the affidavit.

Royalton Police Chief Loretta Stalnaker said Monday afternoon that Oliver has worked as a part-time police officer for the department since March. The police chief added that he was placed on paid administrative leave last week pending an internal investigation. Stalnaker declined further comment on the matter.

Oliver, speaking to reporters prior to his arraignment Monday, said he was taken aback by the allegations against him made in the case and then made counterclaims against the woman he was charged with assaulting. Oliver said he was planning to seek to press charges against her.

Orange County State’s Attorney Colin Seaman, the prosecutor, said following Oliver’s arraignment that he has seen “zero” evidence to indicate the woman “has any exposure to any criminal charges based on knowledge” he currently had from Vermont State Police.

If convicted of the charges against him, Oliver faces up to 7½ years in prison.