Greensburg man guilty of assaulting Westmoreland prison guards

A Greensburg man will serve up to three years in prison for assaulting three guards and threatening another at the Westmoreland County Prison in 2018.

Esteban Sosa, 38, pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts each of aggravated assault and simple assault as well as one charge of making terroristic threats in connection with an incident in the county jail as he awaited trial for another offense.

According to court records, Sosa resisted as guards attempted to discipline him after an anti-depressant pill was found in his cell during a routine drug search at the jail. Investigators said Sosa refused an order from guards to strip and fought back as he was being shackled and moved to a disciplinary cell.

Police said Sosa headbutted and punched the guards in the face. He also bit the fingers of two of the corrections officers, according to police.

At the time of the incident, Sosa was awaiting disposition of charges in connection with allegations he strangled a woman. He pleaded guilty in that case and was sentenced to serve 18 to 36 months in prison.

On Thursday, Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio imposed the identical sentence against Sosa for the guard assaults and ordered that it run concurrent to the strangulation prison term.