MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO — Former Portage County Deputy Daniel LaJack received a 90-day jail sentence Thursday for his role in the unlawful detention of an Ethiopian refugee at an Ohio bar in 2024.
LaJack pleaded guilty in February to attempted abduction — a reduced charge. Medina County Court of Common Pleas sentenced him to 90 days in jail, 90 days of substance abuse monitoring, and two years of probation. The court ordered no contact with the victim or co-defendant. Any violation triggers an automatic 18-month jail term.
Background
The charges stem from an April 26, 2024 incident at Buzzard’s Roost Bar in Hinckley Township. LaJack and Cleveland Police Detective Donald Kopchak — both off-duty — confronted patron Yonas Bokredingil, 41, identified themselves as federal law enforcement, physically restrained him, and removed him from the bar. Bokredingil is an Ethiopian refugee who has lived in the U.S. for 14 years and holds a valid Texas commercial driver’s license.
Body camera footage from Brunswick Police showed one officer pinning Bokredingil to the ground. “This guy’s not from this country,” the Cleveland officer told responding officers. Bokredingil testified for the prosecution at Kopchak’s trial.
Kopchak was found guilty by a jury of two counts of abduction, one count of assault, and one count of ethnic intimidation. He faces sentencing on June 11. He remains on unpaid leave. LaJack resigned from the Lake County Narcotics Agency in December 2024.
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