Westmoreland County Prison inmate accused of trying to grab nurse, attacking guard

Sep. 6—An inmate at the Westmoreland County Prison is accused of trying to grab a female nurse inappropriately and attacking a jail guard on the same day last month, according to court papers.

Joe Paul Biller, 37, of Mt. Pleasant, is charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and indecent assault.

A female nurse was delivering medication at 8 p.m. Aug. 25 at the jail when Westmoreland County detectives said Biller reached out of his cell door and attempted to grab her crotch, according to court papers. The nurse jumped back to get out of Biller's reach and jail guards arrived to take him to a disciplinary unit.

Investigators said Biller head-butted a guard while being moved. Bail was set at $50,000 and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13. He did not have an attorney listed in online court records.

Biller was lodged in the Hempfield jail in February, according to jail records. He is awaiting trial in several cases, including one in which he is accused of operating a meth lab out of a car in Mt. Pleasant and a second in which he is accused of fighting with police serving a mental health warrant.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .