A teen girl sobbed in the U.S. District Court in Nashville court on Wednesday as she came face to face with the man who kidnapped her and sexually assaulted for over a month before his capture last year.

NBC News reports that 52-year-old former high school teacher Tad Cummins was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for kidnapping his former student, Elizabeth, driving her across state lines “to have sex with a minor,” and obstruction of justice.

The victim, who Cummins started grooming when they met at school, was too upset to read her victim impact statement. She cried at the hearing when the time came for her to address Cummins. Instead, a federal prosecutor read it for her.

“What you did to me was unspeakable. You saw a broken girl, who was lonely, scared and traumatized. You made her feel safe and loved because you saw what she needed and made her believe you would be her protector. All you were was a man who just wanted sex, and you used me and manipulated me. Tad Cummins is a sick, disgusting criminal.”

Cummins read an apology statement to his family and then, to Elizabeth. He explained he blamed himself for everything and she was not at fault for anything.

“You were a kid. My misguided attempt to help you went sideways. Anything I can do to give you closure, I stand ready.”

As CrimeOnline previously reported, Elizabeth was just 15 when she left her home in Culleoka, Tennessee, home with former health sciences teacher, Cummins, 51 at the time. Cummins drove across state lines with the teen, which sparked a nationwide manhunt and an AMBER Alert. A little over a month later, authorities found the pair in a small shack in a secluded, wooded area in northern California.

Elizabeth later explained ABC last year why she left her hometown with a man old enough to be her father.

“He made me feel like I didn’t have anyone else, and no one really cared about me like he did,” Elizabeth said.

Cummins met Elizabeth while teaching at the Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, where the teen attended high school. Elizabeth said she had been home schooled most of her life, but once she was removed from her mother’s care after reports of child neglect and abuse, she entered the public school system, where Cummins initially became a mentor.

Elizabeth said she was depressed and lonely after the abuse endured by her mother and wanted to seek mental health help, but Cummins persuaded her not to, telling her it would “change” her.

“Whenever I tried to seek mental help, he told me no,” she said. “I was feeling real low, and I was wanting to get on anti-depressants and try to go to a therapist. And he told me no and not to do it ‘cause it’d change who I was.”

As time progressed, Cummins made it clear he wanted a romantic relationship, according to Elizabeth. It started by the former teacher telling her she “would look nice naked,” to him kissing her unexpectedly.

Authorities eventually intervened after reports of inappropriate behavior between the two at school, but Elizabeth said school administrators still allowed her to go on class field trips with Cummins while the investigation was ongoing.

Cummins initially denied any form of inappropriate actions when questioned by police, stating he was a father figure to the teen. When Cummins faced suspension during the investigation, Elizabeth said other kids in the school started bullying her, calling her demeaning names for “ruining” Cummins’ life. She said teachers also started calling her names when they became aware of the situation.

“A lot of them were made aware, and they also did a lot of the teasing and a lot of the name calling.”

During Cummins’ suspension, he insisted on keeping in contact with Elizabeth. She said if she wasn’t active on social media, he threatened to kill any boy she was with.

“I had to keep in communication with him while he was suspended. And any time that I wouldn’t post for a few hours, he would go crazy and say that I was cheating on him and saying if he found out that I was with another boy, he’d kill them.”

The threats steadily increased, according to Elizabeth, who said she felt trapped, bullied, and controlled by Cummins. Elizabeth also said she was afraid of Cummins, who told her that he had killed people previously.

“So he started calling my phone … sometimes he’d be threatening to kill himself or ending someone else’s life if I didn’t go. He said if he couldn’t have me, he’d kill himself. Any time he threatened himself, he’d threaten my family……I felt really bad about leaving, and I didn’t want to leave, but I knew if I didn’t, something would happen.”

Elizabeth agreed to meet Cummins at a local restaurant in March 2017, but when he didn’t arrive on time, she left the bag at the restaurant with a note inside, giving a tip that she hoped police would find. Cummins eventually arrived and picked her up, then headed west toward California.

“I just wanted the police to be called because I knew once I got in that car, I wasn’t getting out.”

As the pair departed, Elizabeth noticed a gun in the middle console of Cummins’ car. Frightened, she obeyed whatever he demanded, including throwing her cellphone off of a bridge.

“As soon as we went to go leave, he set a gun in the middle console, and I knew that I wasn’t getting out of the car. He made me throw my phone off a bridge and his phone as well, that way the police couldn’t track us. And then he disconnected the GPS by a screwdriver in the glove compartment, and he broke off the front, and then he unhooked the radio and unhooked the GPS.”

Elizabeth said Cummins kept a careful eye on her throughout the journey, never letting her out of his view. They stayed in hotels together, which made Elizabeth feel “dirty.”