LAS VEGAS -- An accused child molester admits to assaulting young girls in letters written to girlfriends, according to the Review-Journal.

During a pre-trial hearing, attorneys said the found letters from Stiles where he described himself as a monster and told the women that he was sexually abused as a child.

Stiles wrote the letters during the nationwide manhunt for him last year, then put them in a cup and stashed them in the desert last fall, Metro police said.

According to the letters, Stiles said he was sorry to the girls he's abused and wished he could take it back.

Stiles is accused of sexually assaulting a 2-year-old girl and videotaping the abuse. He is being held on 21 charges in connection with the assault. He is due back in court later this month.