FARGO, N.D. — A Minnesota man who walked away from a Fargo halfway house has pleaded guilty in federal court.

Chad Sumner is charged with escape. Authorities say he was serving the last few months of a three-year sentence for child endangerment when he fled from Centre, Inc. on Jan 16. He was scheduled to be released from custody on March 2.

Court documents show that Sumner cut the strap from his electronic monitoring device and threw it in a garbage bin at a Fargo gas station. He was arrested in Red Lake, Minnesota, on Feb. 8.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 4 in Fargo.