Hempfield man pleads guilty in prison cell vandalism, escape attempt charge dismissed

A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to 18 months in prison for an incident earlier this year in which police said he tried to escape from the county’s lockup.

Jule Aaron Mascherma, 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of institutional vandalism after Westmoreland County prosecutors agreed to dismiss more serious counts of attempted escape and procurement of a weapon by an inmate.

According to court records, Mascherma was booked into county prison on March 20 after he was charged with aggravated assault, strangulation and other offenses in connection with allegations he attacked a woman during an argument at a Unity hotel.

Authorities said Mascherma was issued a mattress when he was placed in a cell on H Unit. Guards noted no other objects in or damage to the cell, police said.

Investigators said that four days later, 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 jail 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.

Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio sentenced Mascherma to serve 9 to 18 months in jail and ordered he pay $288 in restitution to the prison and another $241 to Wexford Health Sources, the facility’s medical provider, for the damaged wheelchair.

Mascherma is still awaiting trial on two other cases, one for the assault allegations and another related to an alleged drunk driving incident in October.