A 57-year-old Bremerton man was arrested Monday after he allegedly tried to smother his wife with a towel.

The 54-year-old woman told police her husband threatened to kill her about a week ago, Bremerton Police Sgt. Kevin Crane said. Monday evening, she left the couple’s apartment in the 2000 block of Magnuson Way to call her counselor. When she returned, her husband was hiding behind the front door and attacked her from behind. He attempted to smother her with a towel and she felt as if she would pass out, according to police reports.

The dispute lasted a few hours, during which the husband held his wife against her will, forcing her to stay in the bathtub. When the man let his wife leave at about 7 p.m., she went to a neighbor’s house to call police.

The man was arrested and booked into the Kitsap County jail for investigation of second-degree murder. Crane said the charge would likely be amended to felony assault. The woman was taken to Harrison Medical Center for treatment of face, hand and leg injuries.