A 22-year-old Steele man pleaded guilty Tuesday to abducting his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint.

Bradey Wolff told South Central Judge Benny Graff that on Nov. 24 he hid in the backseat of a car owned by his former girlfriend - Terra Harpole, 19, of Steele. Wolff said he used a handgun to force Harpole to drive out of town but said he later agreed to let her return.

Harpole told a somewhat different story to law enforcement the night of the incident, according to prosecutor Jonathan Byers. Byers, an assistant attorney general, was asked to handle the case when Kidder County State's Attorney Robin Thompson Gordon developed a conflict of interest.

Harpole said she left her new boyfriend's house in Robinson at 10:45 p.m. and was driving east on Highway 86 when she heard noises coming from the trunk of her car. Wolff crawled out of the trunk into the back seat and pulled a .22 caliber handgun from his pocket and held it to her head, she said.

Wolff then forced her to drive off-road into a pasture and told her he was going to kill her, Harpole said. Harpole said she was able to convince Wolff to spare her life and let her return to Robinson. Wolff jumped from the car and ran when he noticed a car following them.

In an interview days after Wolff was arrested, Kidder County Sheriff Harvey Fettig said he spotted Wolff the night of the incident driving 12 miles southeast of Robinson and followed him for about three miles before Wolff lost him by turning off his headlights and driving on gravel roads. Wolff was stopped later by the Steele Police Department and a gun clip containing shells and a key fitting the trunk of Harpole's car were found in a search of Wolff, Fettig said.

Wolff originally pleaded not guilty to terrorizing and felonious restraint charges, but agreed to change his plea as part of a plea agreement a short time before he was scheduled for trial. Before changing his plea, Wolff maintained that Harpole invited him into the vehicle and he had the handgun because it was hunting season, Byers said.

In answer to Wolff's claims, Byers entered into evidence several reports from law enforcement agencies that documented a pattern of harassment. According to the reports, in the days preceding the abduction, Wolff followed Harpole on three occasions, tried to run her off the road, assaulted her and stole her wallet and keys.

As part of the plea agreement, Wolff pleaded guilty to felonious restraint and the terrorizing charge was dismissed. Felonious restraint is a class C felony punishable by five years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine and carries a two-year mandatory minimum sentence because Wolff used a firearm.

"It boils down to a credibility issue," Wolff's attorney, Todd Schwarz, said after the court appearance. "Who is the jury going to believe, the victim or my client. And my client just wanted to get this over and done with."

Wolff will be sentenced in about 30 days after a presentence investigation. Conditions of Wolff's bond include that he contact the Kidder County Sheriff's Department twice a week and have no contact with Harpole.

(Reach reporter Mike Albrecht at 250-8261 or cops@ndonline.com.)