Man who escaped from Rhode Island prison pleads not guilty

By: Associated Press
News@abc6.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I.:  A man who escaped from a Rhode Island prison and was on the run for five days has pleaded not guilty to an escape charge.
U.S. Attorney Peter Neronha says James Morales was arraigned Thursday in District Court in Providence.        

A federal grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging Morales with escaping from the custody of the attorney general.

Morales escaped from the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls on Dec. 31. He was captured 50 miles north, in Somerville, Massachusetts.

The 35-year-old former Army reservist had been held for about a year on charges he stole 16 guns from a U.S. Army Reserve Center in Worcester.

It took hours for correctional officers to notice he escaped from the privately-run prison.

Morales’ public defender couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

© WLNE-TV / ABC6 2017