Man pleads guilty to escape charges
A Washington County man who escaped out the back door of a Belle Vernon district justice’s office pleaded guilty to escape and related charges Wednesday in Fayette County Court. Mark James Lexie, 38, of New Eagle went on the run after exiting District Justice Jesse Cramer’s office on June 22, 2002. For his seven hours of freedom, Lexie will serve 48 hours to 23 months in the county prison. When the police officer who brought Lexie to the office left the hearing room to give Cramer’s secretary some paperwork, Lexie, who was handcuffed, fled out the back door.
When Lexie escaped, he was at Cramer’s office to be arraigned at 8:45 a.m. on charges of driving under the influence and resisting arrest. He should have been arraigned in Masontown for those charges, but the computer was down and police had to wait for Cramer’s office to open.
Lexie turned himself in to police after a search by the Belle Vernon River Patrol, state police and Fayette County Sheriff’s Department dog team. His attorney worked with authorities for Lexie’s surrender.
The plea includes the charges of escape, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and DUI. Those charges stem from an incident in which police tried to pull Lexie over after he ran a stop sign.