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GRAHAM -- A Mebane man pleaded guilty Thursday to binding a woman at knifepoint, kidnapping her and forcing her to withdraw money from several ATMs in order to avoid federal charges.

Christopher Thomas Shepard, 20, of U.S. 70 in Mebane, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and first-degree kidnapping in Alamance County Superior Court. Shepard was charged with the crimes after he was caught in Myrtle Beach, S.C., April 4.

About 10 p.m. March 30, Shepard left his house after an argument with his parents and knocked on his neighbor Emily Waldum's door, asking to use the phone. She let him in, Alamance County District Attorney Pat Nadolski said, and he used the phone to call his mother before turning on Waldum, choking her and dragging her to the ground.

Shepard threatened her with a knife and bound her with duct tape before taking her to her 2004 Chevrolet Impala and demanding that she produce her wallet and ATM cards to withdraw money, Nadolski said. He took her to several ATMs before taking her to an abandoned home, binding her again, with her purse strap, tape and pieces of his shirt. Shepard left Waldum there, fleeing to South Carolina in her car.

She freed herself after 45-minutes of struggle and reported the crimes.

Alamance County deputies and the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force tracked Shepard to South Carolina by tracing calls made from Waldum's stolen cell phone, Nadolski said. The U.S. Attorney's office was in contact with Nadolski about pressing federal car-jacking charges.

Waldum currently lives in St. Louis and was studying for her doctorate in psychology at the time, Nadolski said. She wrote a letter, which Nadolski read in court, describing her fear and recurring panic attacks following the ordeal. Sometimes she flees from the sound of a knock at the door, crying, and has turned into an angry, guarded person, she wrote.

"I believe (Shepard) shouldn't be out in public because he will just choose another victim," Waldum wrote, saying she found Shepard to be an "anti-social personality."

"We reached this compromise because she didn't want to have to come here and relive this," Nadolski said.

Bob Martin, Shepard's defense attorney said Shepard had suffered from depression before the incident and had been in and out of treatment for mental health issues. He had intended to commit suicide in Myrtle Beach, S.C., at a place where he had a romantic encounter with his then-girlfriend, Martin said. After he'd kidnapped and robbed Waldum, he got a call from the girlfriend who said she was pregnant. He decided not to kill himself, Martin said.

Shepard's mother addressed the court, apologizing to Waldum through tears and expressing grief over her son's violence.

"I hold myself responsible for what happened because he called me that night. I told him I wasn't going to put up with it. I had no idea my action would cause him to do such a horrible thing," Shepard's mother said.

Before sentencing Judge Michael O'Foghludha told her she wasn't at fault for what Shepard did.

Shepard was sentenced to 62 to 84 months in prison on the armed robbery charge and 70 to 93 months in prison for kidnapping. The charges will run consecutively, resulting in 11 to 14 years nine months' imprisonment. O'Foghludha recommended substance abuse treatment but not work release.