The Intelligencer Journal/New Era
LANCASTER, Pa. — A former Lancaster city fire official has admitted he lied about his resume when he testified as an expert witness during an arson trial in Northampton County.
Ed Knight III, a Manheim Township resident, pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of false swearing, according to an article published Monday in The Allentown Morning Call.
In exchange, prosecutors dropped a felony perjury charge, the newspaper reported. Knight was placed on probation for one year.
Knight was not immediately available for comment Monday.
A 25-year veteran of the city fire bureau, Knight retired as a lieutenant in 1993. He then worked for 17 years as a board-certified forensic fire investigator for Robson Forensic of Lancaster.
In October 2009, he testified as an expert witness for the defense during the trial of Saphira Andre, who was accused of trying to burn down a home she co-owned in Upper Mount Bethel Township, according to the Morning Call.
Knight testified that he believed an accident caused the blaze, but Andre was convicted of arson and criminal mischief.
During his testimony, a prosecutor questioned Knight about his resume, which indicated he received a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Millersville University, according to the newspaper.
Knight claimed there was “no question” he had a degree, but said it might have been a bachelor of arts. When asked again, he said he had a degree “as far as I know,” the Morning Call previously reported.
A grand jury later learned that MU had no record of Knight earning a degree at the college.
After charges were filed in July, the Morning Call contacted Knight, who said he testified to “something that I felt to be true and correct but somebody else thought it was not true and correct.”
He also told the newspaper, “I’ve lost everything over this — my house, my wife, my job. I’ve got nothing left.”
At the time the charges were filed, a representative from Robson Forensic said Knight immediately retired from the firm when the issue came to light.
Defense attorney Dennis Charles previously told the Morning Call that Knight’s qualifications were genuine, whether or not he had a bachelor’s degree. He said any allegations against Knight were “irrelevant” to the case that was presented.
“He was called as a fire examiner,” Charles told the newspaper. “Not as a psychologist.”
Copyright 2011 Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.