Escaped prisoner expected to plead in Kansas case

? A prisoner who allegedly walked away from a halfway house in Leavenworth is expected to plead guilty to a federal charge of escape from custody.

Court filings show a change-of-plea hearing scheduled Monday for Timothy Whittington before U.S. District Judge Carlos Murguia. He was charged with escaping from custody at the Grossman Community Corrections Center in Leavenworth.

Prosecutors say Whittington left the halfway house on July 19 and reported to work, then failed to return to the halfway house.

He had been sentenced in 2006 to 103 months in federal prison for possession of a short-barreled shotgun. He was transferred to the halfway house in Leavenworth in April 2012 to serve the remainder of his sentence.

If convicted, Whittington faces up to five years on the escape charge.