ELYRIA -- Twenty-six-year-old Matthew Plas could have been sent to prison for 72 years for the violent attack that left an Elyria woman paralyzed from the waist down. He was sentenced to 33 years.

This afternoon, Shawn Stevens was wheeled into a Lorain County courtroom to face the man who shot and kidnapped her from the Lorain County Carlisle Reservation Metropark on May 6, 2008.

Prosecutors proved that Plas beat Stevens, tried to sexually assault her, and then shot her. He then dumped her in the trunk of a car and tried to escape.

However, several witnesses saw Stevens flagging them down in the trunk of the car and called 911.

Plas looked across the room at Stevens as he read a prepared apology. "I cannot express how truly sorry I am for my horrible and irreversible actions," Plas said. The 26-year-old convicted felon asked that Stevens forgive him someday.

Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Edward Zaleski sent Plas to prison for a total of 33 years for 17 counts; two counts attempted murder, five counts of kidnapping, three counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of felonious assault and single counts of attempted rape, tampering with evidence, having a weapon while under disability, gross sexual imposition and carrying a concealed weapon

After the hearing, Stevens looked frustrated and said, "I think it should have been at least twice that."

Stevens added "He showed me no mercy. He had the chance. He told one person who tried to rescue me that 'me and my baby want to have sex in the trunk of my car.'"