Man enters guilty plea in kidnapping, assault

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A man pleaded guilty Wednesday to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl who was missing for a year and feared dead before she was found at his home.

Adam Gault took a plea deal that calls for up to 30 years in prison. Judge David Gold indicated Wednesday that he will give Gault at least 20 years at sentencing, set for May 19.

Gault, 42, of West Hartford, pleaded guilty to eight charges, including second-degree sexual assault, kidnapping, risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy.

Authorities say the girl was 14 when she ran away from her Bloomfield home to live with Gault in 2006. Police found her hiding in a small storage area during a search of Gault's home in June 2007.