CHARLESTON, W.Va., Jan. 6 — A federal grand jury handed up an escape indictment Tuesday against Charles Manson follower Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, serving a life sentence for trying to kill President Gerald Ford.

Fromme will be arraigned Jan. 14 in Bluefield before Magistrate Charles Cunningham, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Brandfass.

She slipped away from the campus-like Federal Correctional Institution in Alderson on Dec. 23, roaming the rugged West Virginia hills for two days before being caught two miles from the prison.

Fromme, 39, is serving a life sentence for trying to kill Ford in 1975. She has been described as a cornerstone in keeping the Manson family together.

Fromme faces an additional sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted of the single charge of unlawful escape from a federal institution, Brandfass said.

The indictment does not mention a possible motive.

Alderson prison officials have refused to speculate on what prompted Fromme to escape. Deputy U.S. Marshal Jesse South said Fromme has told him little.

“She’s wise enough to know her constitutional rights,” South said.

Although eligible for parole, Fromme has refused to appear before parole boards.

Fromme, described by one prison worker as a fitness buff, eluded about 100 searchers and tracking dogs for 40 hours during her bid for freedom.

A prison road patrol spotted her on a side road near a fishing camp not far from the prison, and she surrendered without a struggle.