Man acquitted of murder last week arrested again

YOUNGSTOWN — A man who was acquitted of a murder charge last week by a Mahoning County Common Pleas Court was arrested on traffic and weapons charges early today.

A police dog handler pulled over a car about 12:40 a.m. at Cottage Grove and East Florida Avenue driven by Matthew Cochrane, 26, of Hylda Avenue for running a stop sign.

Cochrane told police he did not have a valid driver's license and was taken into custody, reports said. Reports said when his car was searched police found a loaded .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun under the front passenger seat, reports said.

Reports said a records check showed the gun was reported stolen out of Boardman in May. Cochrane was placed in the Mahoning County jail on charges of driving under suspension, improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property.

On July 24, a jury took less than an hour to find Cochrane not guilty of the murder of a Liberty man in March of 2014 who was shot on South Avenue. He spent 14 months in jail awaiting trial before he was freed following the verdict.