Off-duty officers who allegedly detained man at Hinckley bar plead not guilty

MEDINA — The two off-duty police officers who allegedly detained a man at a Hinckley bar pleaded not guilty in front of Magistrate Matthew Razavi at the Medina County Court of Common Pleas on Tuesday. Donald Kopchak, 41, of Brunswick, and Daniel Lajack, 48, of Brunswick, both face two counts of abduction, one count of ethnic intimidation and one count of assault. Abduction and ethnic intimidation are felony charges, while assault is a misdemeanor charge. The charges stem from an incident that occurred on April 26, 2024, at the Buzzard's Roost Tavern. Lajack and Kopchak were off duty when they allegedly identified themselves as federal law enforcement officers and allegedly confronted another patron at the bar, who they falsely assumed was in the United States illegally. They allegedly physically restrained and assaulted the victim while removing him from the bar. An on-scene investigation conducted by Brunswick and Hinckley police determined the victim was a valid U.S. citizen who lived in Texas and was working as a truck driver. At the time of the incident, Lajack was employed at the Lake County Narcotics Agency and Kopchak worked for the Cleveland Police Department. Both were also deputized to serve on federal law enforcement task forces at the time. On Tuesday, the court ordered a personal recognizance bond under the following conditions for both Kopchak and Lajack: No contact with the victim. No contact with the co-defendant in this case. No access to or possession of firearms. No consumption of alcohol while on bond, which will be enforced by transdermal alcohol monitoring at cost to the defendant. Both Kopchak and Lajack are scheduled to have a pre-trial on Jan. 26 and a jury trial on Feb. 9 in Judge Joyce Kimbler's courtroom. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.