Aaron Cochrane, 41, of Jackson County, who most recently has been employed as a Bradford police officer, was arrested by Arkansas State Police this afternoon and transported to the Jackson County jail in Newport.
Cochrane is being held on probable cause pending the filing of formal charges which include two counts of rape, one count of sexual grooming of a child and one count of sexual assault.
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division began an investigation involving Cochrane in March this year based on allegations unrelated to the incidents of rape that reportedly first occurred at least three years ago. The separate allegations that initially prompted state police to open a case file continue to be investigated by special agents.
In recent years, Cochrane had been employed as a sheriff’s deputy in Jackson County and was also employed as a school resource officer in White County.