James Morales, the 35-year-old man charged with escaping from a Rhode Island detention facility on New Year’s Eve, pleaded not guilty Thursday.
It was Morales’s first appearance in US District Court in Providence after a federal grand jury indicted him Tuesday.
Morales allegedly escaped from the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls on Dec. 31, leading law enforcement on a five-day manhunt. He was captured in Somerville, Mass., on Jan. 5.
No bail was set for Morales, said Jim Martin, spokesman for the US attorney in Providence.
The escape charge Morales is facing carries a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, three years of probation, and a $250,000 fine.
Andrew Grant can be reached at andrew.grant@globe.com.