Derry Township man accused of taking $21K of guns through improper use of third-party financing

A Derry Township man is accused of taking $21,000 worth of guns and accessories from a Hempfield shop after state police said he misrepresented his financing through a third-party agency, according to court papers.

David J. Cochran, 23, was arraigned Tuesday on a theft by deception charge. State police said Cochran returned some of the purchased items when confronted by the store owner, but he had sold the others.

Troopers were notified Aug. 23 about the missing items after the owner of Defenders Armory on Route 30 noticed revenue discrepancies during an audit, according to court papers. The owner determined that Cochran used a third-party financing option for 13 purchases between February and June, police said.

Customers at the store can apply for financing with the outside agency and then use an approval number to make a purchase. A contract must be signed between the customer and financing agency after approval. Police said Cochran never signed that contract and continued to use the same approval number, according to court papers.

When Cochran returned some of the items Aug. 30, the owner and two employees told investigators that he offered to sell his vehicle to make up for the merchandise he had sold, according to court papers.

Attorneys John Bumbaugh and Mallard George said Cochran returned about half of the merchandise after learning about the issue and tried to determine a way to make up the remaining balance.

“As far as I’m concerned, this is nothing more than the attempt to collect a civil debt” through a criminal process, Bumbaugh said. “Our client wouldn’t have made the purchases had he not relied on the financing.”

Cochran is free on $25,000 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 4.