For eight days, Terence D. Hartmann held a woman and her two children at his home in northeast Columbia against their will and threatened to kill them, according to police.

The mother, 29, called police at about 10:04 a.m. Monday after she had left Hartmann�s home in the 3600 block of Greeley Drive and told officers Hartmann had held her and her two girls, ages 5 and 2, in his house against their will, Columbia police Officer Latisha Stroer said in an email.

The woman told police she went to Hartmann�s house with her kids Aug. 14 and spent the night, but the next day he threatened to kill her and the children if they left, Stroer said.

�The victim said during the next eight days, she and the kids stayed at the residence under the duress of those threats,� Stroer said.

Stroer said she did not know how the woman got away from the house.

On one of the days the mother and children were held at Hartmann�s house, Stroer said, he pointed a gun at the 5-year-old�s head and the mother�s head and threatened to kill them. Hartmann also hit the 2-year-old on her buttocks and slapped the 5-year-old in the face, the woman told police. The woman said Hartmann also choked and head-butted her, causing her nose to bleed. Stroer said Hartmann also broke the woman�s cellphone so she couldn�t call for help. Hartmann and the woman had been in a relationship, Stroer said.

At one point, Hartmann punched the woman in the face in the laundry room and while she was on the floor, he stabbed a door nearby and threatened to stab her, Stroer said. The woman told police Hartmann swung the knife at her and she put her hands up to block it, cutting her finger.

The children had red marks on them, Stroer said, and the mother had bruises on her nose, ear, neck and left arm, a mark on her chest and a cut on two of her fingers. A search warrant at Hartmann�s home turned up a loaded gun in the bedroom and blood in the bedroom and bathroom. Police also found holes in the laundry room door and marijuana, drug paraphernalia, scales and a bong in the house.

Hartmann was arrested at 10:25 a.m. Monday in the 2900 block of Yoko Court on suspicion of kidnapping, armed criminal action, second- and third-degree domestic assault, two counts of first-degree child endangerment, unlawful possession and use of a weapon, possession of less than 35 grams of marijuana and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

Bond had not been set as of Tuesday morning on armed criminal action and kidnapping and totaled $35,500 on the other charges.

Hartmann was expected to make his first court appearance at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

This article was first published online on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at 10:41 a.m.