CASTLE ROCK, Colo. -- Castle Rock police say a man who kidnapped an 18-year-old girl, holding her hostage for three hours, was in the country illegally and had been deported four times.

Pedro Martinez, 24, is being held on $500,000 bond.

Police praised Amber Scott for keeping her captor calm after she was abducted at knifepoint from a store parking lot Sunday evening.

Scott's ordeal began at the Walgreens parking lot on Allen Street in Castle Rock at about 9 p.m. Sunday. She was walking to the store when she said Martinez pulled out a knife and forced her back into her car.

"He gave me this really freaky look and he pulled out his knife and was like, 'Get back in your car,'" Scott said.

For three hours, they drove around, trying to find an ATM to get him cash so she could go free, she said.

"When you're held like that, when someone kidnaps you, all you care about is your own life. Just give them what they want," Scott said.

At one point, they went into her parents' home, looking for cash and that's when her mother noticed something was wrong and quietly called police, who were able to track their car. Scott's ordeal came to an end after a short police chase that ended when Martinez smashed her car against a tree.

"I just ran, hugged the first cop that came out and was like, 'Put me in your car.' I was so scared," Scott said.

Later, she learned that Martinez shouldn't have been in Castle Rock at all. He was working at a nearby Dairy Queen but he was in the country illegally. Local police have stopped him but only for minor traffic violations.

"There's no way we can tell someone's immigration status unless we actually arrest them," said Castle Rock police Detective Jason Maes.

"Like I said, I just got really mad to know that it could have been prevented. It makes me really mad," Scott said.

Critics of the country's immigration policy said the case is a prime example of what's wrong with the system and how innocent people are being victimized.

Martinez could face charges in both Colorado and Mexico.

In the meantime, Scott said the incident has forever changed her outlook on life.

"I appreciate things a lot more, like my family and definitely not materialistic things," Scott said.