HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane’s office today announced the filing of charges against Raymond M. Corll, a sergeant for the Lancaster City Bureau of Police Department accused of committing perjury and other criminal offenses.
The charges against Corll, 54, were filed by the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations.
They stem from an alleged incident that occurred in March of 2014. Corll arrested a man for public drunkenness near the intersection of North Queen and East Chestnut streets in Lancaster.
During the man’s summary trial in July, Corll testified under oath the man was clearly intoxicated, saying he was staggering the entire width of a 15-foot-wide sidewalk and unaware of his surroundings, according to a criminal complaint.
Additionally, Corll testified that he took the man to the ground during the arrest and punched him in the face while he was on the ground.
Video footage from the case showed the man arrested was in fact walking normally prior to being taken into custody. He also showed no signs of staggering when he was handcuffed behind his back and walking toward a police transport, investigators said.
Further video footage captured during processing at the police station also showed the man did not appear to be intoxicated, according to the criminal complaint.
Corll is charged with one count each of perjury, false swearing, official oppression and simple assault. Corll appeared today for his preliminary arraignment. Bail was set at $20,000 unsecured. A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 8.
The Office of Attorney General assumed jurisdiction of this case following a formal referral by the Lancaster County district attorney’s office. The case will be prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Megan V. Madaffari of the Office of Attorney General’s Criminal Prosecutions Section.