A Texas man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping a 13-year-old girl in Southern California.
The girl had been missing for three days before, in a desperate plea, she held up a handwritten 'help me!' sign while in a parked car.
A passerby saw the sign and alerted the authorities, which led to her rescue and the man's arrest.
A statement from the US Attorney's office in California stated Steven Robert Sablan, 62, admitted in a plea agreement to sexually assaulting the victim after abducting her and driving her from Texas to California.
The girl was rescued on July 9 in Long Beach just south of Los Angeles after her makeshift sign caught the attention of onlookers.
Sablan, who has been in federal custody since July last year, pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping, prosecutors said.
His attorney, Deputy Federal Public Defender Nadine Hettle declined to speak to media.
In July Sablan was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of kidnapping and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
An FBI agent wrote an affidavit in support of the case stating the girl was walking down a street in San Antonio on July 6, when Sablan drove up to her, raised a black handgun, and said "If you don't get in the car with me, I'm going to hurt you".
A sentencing hearing was set for October 25.
Sablan will face a mandatory minimum of 20 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life.
