Rostraver man charged with attempting to touch police officer with bloody bandage in jail

A Rostraver man was arrested Thursday, charged with trying to touch an officer with a bloody bandage while being dropped off at the Westmoreland County Prison last month, according to court papers.

Thomas Welch, 58, whose last known address is in Van Meter, is charged with aggravated harassment by a prisoner and reckless endangerment.

Welch was taken to the Hempfield jail on Dec. 2 to be held until his arraignment on aggravated assault charges stemming from an incident in Rostraver the previous day, according to Westmoreland County detectives and court records. Investigators said Welch was arrested in connection with an assault in which a knife was used and he had bandaged injuries to his hands.

Township police were were dropping him off at the jail to be processed and held while awaiting arraignment. Detectives said Welch removed the bloody bandages and tried to put them on the Rostraver officer, according to court papers. The officer restrained Welch from doing so but he continued to yell and swear at those present while attempting to touch them with the bandages, police said.

Welch was arraigned on the assault charges two days later and freed on $50,000 bond, according to online court records.

Charges related to the jail incident were filed Dec. 23. He is free on $25,000 bond in that case. Welch did not have an attorney listed in either case. A phone number for him could not be located

Preliminary hearings are set for March 5 in the jail case and March 8 on the assault charges.

He does not have any criminal history in Pennsylvania, according to online court records.