Trial starts for former state trooper accused of lying on application to buy guns

A former state police officer accused of falsifying an application to buy two firearms did not attempt to break the law, his lawyer told a Westmoreland County jury as his trial started Monday.

Chad Corbett, 40, of New Derry, believed criminal charges alleging he had assaulted a woman were to be dismissed when he signed documents in early March 2018 to buy guns at the Army-Navy Store in Latrobe, defense attorney Fran Murrman said.

Corbett had a plea bargain deal in place since a preliminary hearing just weeks after his arrest in November 2017 in which felony charges were to be dismissed in exchange for his successfully completing anger management treatment, according to Murrman. That deal, in which Corbett pleaded guilty to a summary harassment charge, was finalized March 23, 2018, Murrman said.

“That’s what they promised him, and that’s what he accepted,” Murrman said.

Corbett sat quietly in court at the start of his trial before Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger. He stroked an emotional support dog clutched in his arms as Murrman told jurors about his history as a police officer and as a military policeman in the U.S. Army Reserves. Corbett was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following deployments to Bosnia and Iraq, Murrman said.

Emotional issues led to Corbett being forced to retire with a disability from the state police following his arrests, Murrman said.

Corbett was aware of the pending assault charges when he filled out paperwork to purchase the guns, Assistant District Attorney Mike Pacek said in his opening statement. That paperwork required Corbett to disclose he faced charges that could result in at least a year in jail, if convicted, Pacek said.

After a background check determined he was ineligible to buy the weapons, Corbett’s then-fiancee, who now is his wife, came back to the store seeking to buy the weapons on his behalf, according to Pacek.

“Clearly this was an attempt to get these guns when he knew he wasn’t allowed to,” Pacek said. “He knows he broke the law.”

Two witnesses testified that Corbett signed the paperwork with false information about his criminal history.

The defense is expected to present witnesses to testify on Corbett’s behalf when the trial resumes Tuesday.