Hempfield man accused of attempting to break out of Westmoreland jail

A Hempfield man jailed in connection with an alleged domestic assault is accused by police of using wheelchair arms to pry off the metal frame of a window at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to county detectives.

Jule A. Mascherma, 33, is charged with attempted escape, institutional vandalism and making a weapon that could be used for escape.

Jail and court records show Mascherma was booked March 20 on $5,000 bond on charges filed by state police. County detectives said he was placed in a cell on H Unit. A guard at the Hempfield lockup who gave Mascherma a mattress said there was nothing amiss in the cell.

Four days later, guards found a metal wheelchair in Mascherma’s cell with the arms removed, according to court papers. The metal frame around the cell window had been pried off. Mascherma was issued two sheets when booked at the jail and investigators said they found four in his cell.

He used two screws to hold the metal frame in place when guards did cell checks, according to court papers. Mascherma told detectives that the damage to the window and wheelchair were there when he arrived in the cell.

The damage was estimated at $500.

Mascherma’s bond on the new charges is set at $10,000. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for April 9.

He is awaiting preliminary hearings in two other cases — a drunken-driving charge from October and an alleged domestic assault, according to online court records. State police said he went to a Unity hotel and punched and choked a woman during an argument before fleeing in her car. The woman had numerous cuts on her face as well as swelling and severe bruising, according to court papers. He is charged in that case with strangulation, aggravated assault and numerous related offenses.