Officer pleads guilty regarding illegal detainment of truck driver

A former federal task force deputy pleaded guilty to charges related to the illegal detainment of a truck driver, multiple news outlets have reported.

Daniel Lajack,48, entered a guilty plea to one count of attempted abduction on Monday, Feb. 9 in a Medina, Ohio, court. Lajack is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26.

According to the Medina County Prosecutor’s Office, Lajack’s charges are related to an April 2024 incident at the Buzzard’s Roost Tavern in Hinckley, Ohio. Lajack and Donald Kopchak, who were both off duty, allegedly confronted a customer at the bar and identified themselves as federal law enforcement officers. The Akron Beacon Journal reported in August 2025 that the officers requested the man’s identification and wanted to make sure he wasn’t on “some watchlist.” The incident escalated, and the officers allegedly restrained and assaulted the customer while removing him from the tavern.

Bodycam footage related to the detainment can be found here:

“An on-scene investigation conducted by officers from the Hinckley Police Department and the Brunswick Police Department determined that the victim in this matter was a valid U.S. Citizen living in Texas and working as (an) over-the-road truck driver,” The Medina County Prosecutor’s Office wrote in a September 2025 news release.

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance issued a statement about the incident, saying, “The public needs to have trust in law enforcement, and Kopchak and Lajack have betrayed that.”

In July 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to pursue federal charges.

However, a Medina County grand jury authorized state charges of abduction, ethnic intimidation and assault against Lajack and Kopchak. In September 2025, both officers pleaded not guilty. However, Lajack changed his plea on the day his trial was set to begin. Kopchak, meanwhile, filed a motion for continuation. LL