PORTLAND — A Wales man pleaded not guilty to child exploitation and child pornography charges Wednesday in U.S. District Court.

Patrick Hamlin, 47, was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts of exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography.

Magistrate Judge Karen Frink Wolf ordered that he be detained pending trial. Hamlin waived his right to a detention hearing.

The trial is set for April 1 and will be presided over by Chief Judge Lance E. Walker.

State police arrested Hamlin in Gray on May 10, 2024. He was initially charged with two counts each of unlawful sexual contact and unlawful sexual touching.

According to the indictment, Hamlin allegedly abused a female minor while engaging in sexually explicit conduct to produce visual depictions in March 2023. He continued abusing the juvenile in August 2023 and three times in April 2024, the indictment said, and in May 2024 police discovered Hamlin’s possession of child pornography involving a minor under 12 years old.

Hamlin was involved with the Monmouth Community Players, a community theater company, as early as 2020 and as late as 2023 and was part of at least three productions during that time — “Disney’s High School Musical Jr.” in 2020, “When Radio Was King: A Return to the ’60s” in 2022 and “She Kills Monsters” in 2023. “Disney’s High School Musical” was through the Monmouth Community Players’ MCPKids! productions.

It is not clear if Hamlin worked alone with children involved in those productions.

A representative from Monmouth Community Players was not immediately available for comment Thursday morning.