Mal Pauliet Tharjiath, 25, of Austin pleaded guilty on Monday in Mower County District Court to felony escape from custody.

Tharjiath was arrested on Feb. 17, 2017, after removing a GPS monitoring bracelet he was required to wear after his release from prison in January 2017. The Department of Corrections received a tamper alert that indicated the bracelet had been cut off in the area of the 900 block of Seventh Place Northeast. The Austin Police Department and DOC Fugitive Task Force were notified of the alert and Tharjiath was caught later than night.

Tharjiath also petitioned to enter a guilty plea for a second charge of felony escape from custody. In that case, he removed a GPS monitoring device on Sept. 5 while at the Austin Public Library and was later caught by the DOC Fugitive Task Force.

In Minnesota, felony escape from custody carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.