John Dodrill, 59, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon and could get up to four years behind bars if convicted. He is accused of pointing the weapon at the girl Sunday morning on the 31000 block of Strawberry Tree Lane in Temecula.
"After opening the door, he may have said something to the effect of, 'You should know better than to knock on my door.' And that's when the weapon was raised at that point and then the door slammed. They immediately left and reported it to police," said John Hall with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.
When deputies arrived, they seized the weapon as evidence.
The judge entered a not guilty plea on Dodrill's behalf and put a restraining order into effect, telling the defendant not to have any contact with the girl or her father. Dodrill was still in custody as of Wednesday evening. His bail was set at $25,000.
