MEDINA, Ohio — One of two former deputized federal agents accused of unlawfully detaining a Texas commercial truck driver at a Hinckley bar in 2024 pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge, with sentencing scheduled for March 26, court records show.

^{Photo Credit: Jarrod Evangelist/wkyc}

Daniel Lajack, 48, changed his plea on the day his trial was set to begin in Medina County Common Pleas Court, pleading guilty to one count of attempted abduction. His co-defendant, Donald Kopchak, also had trial scheduled to start Monday, but Kopchak’s attorney filed a motion requesting a continuance.

What investigators say happened

The case stems from an incident at Buzzard’s Roost Sports Bar in Hinckley Township in April 2024. Investigators allege Lajack and Kopchak were off duty and drinking when they confronted a fellow patron — a commercial truck driver from Texas who is a legal immigrant from East Africa and had lived in the U.S. for 14 years.

According to investigators and witness accounts, the truck driver was reportedly minding his own business when the two officers became aggressive and demanded identification to prove his legal status. The man was then led outside, where authorities say Kopchak pinned him to the ground until Brunswick police arrived.

Body camera footage and investigator statements indicate the two men identified themselves as agents from the DEA and ATF, but they were task force members, not special agents. Kopchak was deputized with the ATF, and Lajack was a deputized DEA agent assigned to the DEA Cleveland Strikeforce task force. Both were later removed from their federal duties.

A Brunswick police sergeant was heard on video criticizing the situation, saying everyone had been drinking and that the truck driver had a valid Texas CDL, but was not allowed to leave.

Charges and how the case got here

A Medina County grand jury indicted Lajack and Kopchak in 2025 on two felony counts of abduction, one felony count of ethnic intimidation, and one misdemeanor assault count.

After the incident became public in 2024, the case was reviewed and later investigated by the FBI. To avoid conflicts, it was routed to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. Federal prosecutors ultimately declined to file civil rights charges and referred the matter back to local prosecutors, who presented the evidence to the grand jury.

Medina County Prosecutor S. Forrest Thompson has said his office reviewed the evidence and that no special treatment was given because the defendants were law enforcement officers.

Employment fallout

Following the indictment, the Cleveland Division of Police placed Kopchak on unpaid administrative leave. Lajack joined the Portage County Sheriff’s Office in January after previously serving as a special agent with the Lake County Narcotics Agency.

The Lake County Narcotics Agency also conducted an internal investigation. Lajack received notice of a pre-disciplinary hearing in November 2024 alleging violations including abduction, assault, unlawful restraint, and disorderly conduct. Authorities said he resigned about two weeks after receiving that notice.

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