MEDINA, Ohio — Two former federal task force agents pleaded not guilty to criminal charges connected to an incident at a Hinckley bar in 2024.
Donald Kopchak and Dan Lajack were ordered not to have contact with each other or the victim.
The judge also said they could not have access to weapons and must wear an alcohol monitor.
What happened?
The pair is accused of illegally detaining a truck driver outside Buzzard’s Roost Tavern because they thought the man was in the country illegally and could be a terrorist, according to police body camera video.
Officers were called to a disturbance at the bar and found a man being held on the ground outside:
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“I have you in a leg lock,” Kopchak is heard telling the man. “You’re not getting out, anyways.”
“I’m legal,” the man being held said.
The man on the ground told police he was a truck driver originally from the African country of Eritrea, but now living in Texas.
He told officers he was in town making a delivery.
On the recordings, the man told police he was inside the bar when two men began questioning him about his origin.
He told officers the men then grabbed him, took his phone and wallet and forced him outside.
About the officers
Kopchak is a Cleveland police officer who was assigned to an ATF task force at the time. He was pulled off the federal task force following the incident. Last month, Cleveland Police placed him on unpaid leave following his indictment.
Lajack, who worked with the DEA, resigned from the Lake County Narcotics Agency while facing disciplinary action last December. He was hired by the Portage County Sheriff’s Office and is currently on a 60-day unpaid leave from that position, according to his attorney.
