PRINCETON, WV (WOAY) – The new Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney was sworn in Monday morning.
Earlier this year, Brian Cochran won the primary election as the republican candidate for Mercer County Prosecuting Attorney. He’s taking over the position earlier than expected as the interim prosecutor, and was sworn in Monday morning, November 2. He says that as the new prosecuting attorney, one of his biggest ideals is to be tough on violent crime.
“Anybody that harms a child in Mercer County, we’re going to address that appropriately. Violent criminals in Mercer County, we’re going to be prosecuting them as hard as we can.” Cochran said.
Cochran began his career as a police officer working night shifts while he attended college. He soon after worked with a sheriff’s department and then the state police, before being transferred down to Southern West Virginia.
“That experience I think is going to be helpful to me as far as far as my relationships with our law enforcement officers go. Because it’s important that the prosecutor’s office and the law enforcement officers work together, cooperate and communicate with each other.”
Cochran is in the position early because the former Prosecuting Attorney George Sitler resigned early from his post, and the Mercer County Commission selected Cochran to be the interim prosecutor. If he wasn’t selected as the interim, then someone else chosen by the County Commission would have served in the position for two months before Cochran could take office in January of 2021.
Cochran is expected to serve for four years as the new prosecuting attorney.
