A former Lake County Sheriff’s officer who admitted to targeting an immigrant after a drunken confrontation at a Medina County pub will spend three months in jail.
On Thursday, Medina County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joyce Kimbler sentenced Daniel Lajack, 48, to 90 days in jail, two years on probation, and 100 hours of community service. He is currently incarcerated in the Medina County jail.
He apologized to the victim and repeatedly stated that he is embarrassed of his behavior that night.
Lajack pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of attempted abduction in connection with the April 26, 2024, incident at Buzzards Roost, a pub in Hinckley Township. He was accused of kidnapping, ethnic intimidation, and assault alongside his former co-defendant, Cleveland police officer Donald Kopchak (41).
The case resulted from an incident in which Lajack and Kopchak, both off duty and drinking at the pub, challenged another patron, Yonas Bokredingil, 41, a legal Eritrean immigrant and Texas truck driver. Witnesses said that Lajack accused Bokredingil of being in the country illegally, requested identification, and refused to believe him even after he provided a valid Texas driver’s license.
According to prosecution testimony, Lajack proceeded outsorigin andide to contact a federal law enforcement source about Bokredingil’s immigration status. When Lajack returned to the bar, witnesses said he announced that Bokredingil could not leave, although neither officer was in charge of immigration enforcement.
At that point, Kopchak forcibly restrained Bokredingil by putting his hands behind his back and leading him out of the bar before tackling him to the ground. On-duty cops eventually came and took charge.
During the trial, Bokredingil testified that Kopchak choked him unconscious, a claim that Kopchak denied. Witnesses, including two bar guests and the bartender, repeatedly identified both defendants as aggressors and claimed the confrontation was unjustified.
During Kopchak’s trial, Lajack served as a court witness. Under cross-examination by Medina County Assistant Prosecutor Scott Salisbury, Lajack admitted that Bokredingil stood out due to his accent and country of origin, and that he was the only Black person in the pub.
The event ended Lajack’s law enforcement career. Lajack was a sheriff’s officer at the time of the altercation, as well as a member of a Drug Enforcement Administration task team. He later resigned in lieu of termination and worked for the Portage County Sheriff’s Office until he retired in September, according to records.
Kopchak, a Cleveland Division of Police officer and former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives task force agent, was removed from the task force but is still employed in Cleveland. He is on unpaid leave pending an internal affairs investigation.
A Medina County jury found Kopchak guilty on all counts. His sentencing date is slated on June 11.
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