11th District overturns another conviction from Girard court

WARREN

For the second time in a month, the 11th District Court of Appeals has overturned a conviction in Girard Municipal Court.

The two cases are nearly identical in that the appeals court said Judge Jeff Adler failed to require the Girard prosecutor to provide a factual basis for conviction of a defendant before the judge found the defendant guilty.

In the ruling released this week, the appellate court ordered the June 23, 2016, resisting-arrest conviction of Kenneth K. Cochrane Jr. of Trumbull Avenue in Girard to be removed and the charge dismissed.

Judge Adler accepted Cochrane’s no-contest plea and found him guilty.

“The transcript of the proceedings shows no inquiry into the circumstances of this crime was made and no explanation was provided,” the appeals court said in the ruling.

Read more about the case in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.