A Lancaster police sergeant lied under oath during the prosecution of a city man for public drunkenness, the state attorney general alleged today.

Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane’s office has announced charges — including perjury and simple assault — against Sgt. Ray M. Corll.

Corll, 54, was sworn in as a city police officer in October 2000, according to newspaper records.

Charges stem from an incident in March 2014 when Corll arrested Steve Widdowson for public drunkenness near the intersection of North Queen and East Chestnut streets in Lancaster.

During Widdowson’s summary trial in July, the state Attorney General’s office said in a Wednesday morning release, Corll testified under oath the man was clearly intoxicated.

Corll testified Widdowson was staggering the entire width of a 15-foot-wide sidewalk and was unaware of his surroundings, according to the criminal complaint. Additionally, Corll testified that he took Widdowson to the ground during the arrest and punched him in the face while he was on the ground.

Story continues after video.

Video footage from the case showed Widdowson was in fact walking normally prior to being taken into custody, the state Attorney General said. He 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 Widdowson 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.

LNP first reported on the incident, including the complaint against Corll and the city’s eventual settlement with Widdowson, in October.

Corll appeared Wednesday for his preliminary arraignment. Bail was set at $20,000 unsecured.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled for April 8.

Corll has been listed as a defendant in six civil lawsuits, according to newspaper records.

A former president of the city police union, he helped sponsor the city’s “Shop With a Cop” program, designed to familiarize children with the police force.

The Office of the Attorney General assumed jurisdiction of this case following a formal referral by the Lancaster County district attorney's office, Brett Hambright, spokesman for the county district attorney’s office, confirmed Wednesday.

The district attorney has no further comment on the charges, Hambright said.

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The case will be prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Megan V. Madaffari of the Office of Attorney General's Criminal Prosecutions Section.

Excessive force

Charges against Widdowson were dismissed on appeal after the footage was entered as evidence, according to newspaper records. Widdowson sued Corll, the Lancaster Bureau of Police and the City of Lancaster, claiming Corll used excessive force, and that the city knew its officers “were regularly involved in incidents involving the excessive use of force.”

The case was settled out of court last fall, with Widdowson getting $150,000.

RELATED: LNP analysis: Police in Lancaster County have paid out $2.4 million to settle allegations of excessive force

Corll has been named as a defendant in other cases, including an incident in which four men claimed city police officers — including Corll — used excessive force to break up an off-campus party near Franklin & Marshall College in 2004, and a woman who said Corll injured her during a traffic stop altercation in 2011.

Settlements on those two cases alone totaled more than $500,000.

Devon M. Jacob, the Mechanicsburg-based attorney who represented Widdowson in the suit, said he and his client “were anticipating that this was going to occur.”

“We’re thrilled that the Lancaster County district attorney’s office is doing what it’s supposed to do, and that’s enforcing the law for everybody,” Jacob said. “Some other counties could learn from their example.”

It’s not surprising, he added, that the district attorney referred the case to the state level for action.

“Even though the local district attorney has jurisdiction, there is an inherent conflict,” he said. “The district attorney’s office works with the police department every day.”

Mayor's remarks

Lancaster city police Chief Keith Sadler did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon.

However, in a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, city Mayor Rick Gray said he “views this matter with grave concern.”

“We believe that the behavior alleged is serious and unacceptable,” the statement reads in part. “This is not in keeping with the standards we set for our Police, nor with the standards City Police meet and exceed every day.”

Gray said Corll has not been on active duty with city police since Nov. 2, when the district attorney’s office notified police that the incident was being investigated. He is being paid while on leave, the mayor said.

“This status will continue until disposition of the criminal charges filed against him,” Gray said.