Hempfield man pleads guilty to assault of ex-girlfriend at Unity hotel

A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to 23 months in prison for a violent assault of a former girlfriend last year in a Unity hotel.

Jule A. Mascherma, 34, pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats in connection with an incident last March 20 at the Inn at Mt. View when a woman received multiple head and facial injuries.

According to court records, the woman told police Mascherma — her former boyfriend — rented the hotel room to facilitate an improvement in their relationship and that after she arrived, they argued and he repeatedly punched and choked her before he fled in her 2020 Honda Accord.

The woman claimed she was punched 10 to 15 times with a closed fist.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dismissed charges of strangulation, reckless endangerment, theft and criminal mischief.

Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger sentenced Mascherma to serve 7 to 23 months in prison and an additional two years on probation. Mascherma was not given credit for the nearly 11 months he has served in jail after his arrest.

In August, Mascherma pleaded guilty to vandalizing a cell at the county prison as part of a failed escape attempt.

Investigators said four days after he entered, prison guards found a metal wheelchair in Mascherma’s cell with the arms removed and the metal frame around the cell window removed. Mascherma was issued two sheets when booked at the prison and investigators said they found four in his cell, according to court documents.

Police said Mascherma used two screws to hold the metal frame in place when guards did cell checks and claimed that the damage to the window and wheelchair were there when he arrived in the cell.

In that case, Mascherma was sentenced to serve 9 to 18 months in prison.

Drunk driving charges in a third case against Mascherma are still pending.