VALDOSTA — A man is in jail after police rescued three women who were being held against their will in a motel room Sunday, according to a Valdosta Police Department statement.

At 4:53 p.m., officers responded to a motel in the 1800 block of West Hill Avenue in reference to three women not being allowed to leave their room.

Officers heard someone banging on a motel window and attempted to enter the room while a man was trying to keep them from entering, the statement said.

Once police forced their way in, the three women left the room and the man was taken into custody, police said. The women said they began knocking on the window and shouting for help when the man wouldn’t let them leave, according to the statement.

Michael Hudson, 39, of Valdosta is charged with two felony counts of false imprisonment and taken to the Lowndes County Jail, police said.

The women were held only a short period of time, police said. The suspect arrived to visit one woman when an argument awakened the two other women.

“We are very appreciative to the citizen who called 911 after hearing the victims yelling for help in this case. The quick notification allowed our officers time to get to the scene, help the victims and arrest the offender without incident,” VPD Lt. Scottie Johns said.

Dean Poling contributed to this article.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.