BANGOR – Already facing charges stemming from a car chase, a Bangor man has been accused of criminal threatening, terrorizing and violating bail conditions after further police investigation of the incident.

Joseph Collins, 33, had a first appearance at 3rd District Court on Thursday, but because the threatening and terrorizing charges are considered felonies, a status hearing has been set for July 13 in Penobscot County Superior Court.

Collins also faces assault and terrorizing charges out of Newport, but those weren’t addressed Thursday.

He remained at Penobscot County Jail on Thursday night on $20,000 cash bail or $100,000 surety.

The investigation began Tuesday when police received a report of threatening in Etna.

Things escalated when police learned that Collins was believed to be traveling with his two children in a car and that he allegedly was refusing to return them to their mother.

“[The victim] told me that Joe came to her mother’s house [Tuesday] night and was threatening her and told her that he was going to kill her, her kids and friends,” Penobscot County sheriff’s Deputy James Kennedy said in his report.

The victim reported that during a separate incident, Collins had forced her into a vehicle and held a gun to her head.

After Kennedy obtained more information from the victim and her mother, he requested an all-points bulletin for the vehicle driven by Collins.

When police spotted Collins later in Bangor, he led officers on a chase.

According to police reports, Collins drove recklessly through Bangor and into Brewer at speeds of up to 90 mph in 25-mph zones.

Eventually, Collins turned onto a dead-end street near the Brewer Eagles Club and was caught after trying to run from the officers.

“At this time, I was informed that the children were not in the vehicle and that they did not find any weapons,” Kennedy said. “Joe Collins refused to tell anyone where the children were.”

An all-points bulletin then was sent out to area law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the 1-year-old girl and her 2-year-old brother.

It wasn’t until the next day that a Hampden woman, who said she was Collins’ friend, called police to say that Collins had left the children at her house and that they were safe.

A state Department of Health and Human Services caseworker was called, and the children remained in the state’s custody Thursday.