A 26-year-old Kaneohe Marine pleaded not guilty in Circuit Court on Monday for the stabbing of his girlfriend with a knife last month.

Joshua McCray, a sergeant at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, is charged with second-degree assault. His bail was set at $5,000.

Circuit Judge Richard Perkins set a trial date of Sept. 15 before Circuit Judge Randal Lee.

McCray was initially arrested on suspicion of second-degree attempted murder on June 26. The alleged incident occurred just after 6 a.m. Officers arrested McCray at a Kamehameha Highway address in Kahaluu. 

Prosecutors later reduced the charge to second-degree assault.

In a police affidavit, the victim, Desiree Jones, said she and McCray argued when he stabbed her and fled.

The affidavit said a knife was found near the area where McCray, a North Carolina native, was hiding behind a church.