LEEDS – A man accused of raping two young girls and then holding them hostage in his home last month was indicted Wednesday on nearly two dozen counts.

George Yeaton III, 38, of Leeds, was charged with seven counts of gross sexual assault, four counts of terrorizing, two counts of criminal restraint and one count of kidnapping. He was also indicted on charges of aggravated assault and numerous counts of violating release conditions and protection orders.

The Oct. 28 incident resulted in a police standoff after Yeaton allegedly threatened to hurt or kill the girls and refused to let them go. He also threatened to hurt himself and police officers, investigators said.

The standoff ended after investigators from Maine State Police and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office negotiated with Yeaton for several hours at his Route 106 home.

In all, Yeaton was indicted by the Androscoggin County grand jury on 22 counts. He is accused of raping and terrorizing the girls over four days. One of the victims is younger than 18 years old, according to court documents. The other is under 12.

The case came to the attention of police around noon Oct. 28 when the mother of one of the young girls called for help. According to the indictment, Yeaton is accused of restraining and assaulting that woman with a knife the day before the standoff. He is also accused of telling one of the girls that he would shoot her mother.

After Yeaton was arrested, police searched his home. Sheriff’s officials said they found several weapons, including a knife, numerous rifles and ammunition.

Yeaton, who has prior convictions for assault and other charges, has remained at the Androscoggin County Jail in Auburn since his arrest. He did not enter a plea to the charges against him at his initial court appearance.

Yeaton is expected to appear in court for arraignment later this week.