Jeannette man charged after incident at Westmoreland County prison

A Westmoreland County Prison guard had a concussion and shoulder injury after police said he was attacked by an inmate, according to court papers.

Westmoreland County detectives reported watching a video of the Aug. 28 incident in which Jericho M. Dechicchis, 23, of Jeannette, was seen in a processing room at the Hempfield facility with the guard and a sheriff’s deputy. The video showed Dechicchis being taken to the ground after appearing to resist a chain being put around his waist, according to court papers.

Dechicchis was carried to a vehicle and, afterwards, the guard was seen on video with cuts to his head and eye, police said. The guard told investigators during a Sept. 24 interview that he was kicked six times, according to court papers.

At the time of that interview, police said the guard hadn’t returned to work.

Dechicchis is charged with assault by a prisoner, reckless endangerment and three counts of aggravated assault. He was arraigned Thursday and jailed on $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 5. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

Dechicchis has been a prisoner at the jail since June, according to records. He is awaiting action in a Clarion County aggravated assault case from earlier this year. He previously was sentenced to 30 to 66 months followed by two years probation in connection with two 2017 armed robberies in Latrobe and Derry Borough.