LEXINGTON, KY - Former University of Kentucky basketball player Michael Porter has pleaded not guilty to charges of sodomy and sexual abuse with an underage girl.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports Porter appeared Thursday before Fayette Circuit Judge James Ishmael Jr. with attorney Jim Lowry. Lowry waived formal arraignment and entered the not guilty plea on Porter's behalf.

The 25-year-old Porter is free on a third-party bond signed by a staff member of Southland Christian Church in Jessamine County.

Porter was arrested May 15 after a Lexington police sting operation. Court documents indicate Porter and the girl met at church functions.

He is scheduled to return to court for a status hearing Oct. 26.