Medina County jury convicts Cleveland detective of abduction, ethnic intimidation and assault in bar detention

Verdict caps case stemming from April 2024 incident in Hinckley Township

A Medina County jury has found Cleveland Police Detective Donald Kopchak guilty in a criminal case tied to the off-duty detention of a truck driver outside a Hinckley Township bar. The verdict followed a trial in Medina County Court of Common Pleas centered on an April 26, 2024 incident at Buzzard’s Roost Tavern.

Kopchak faced four charges: two counts of abduction, one count of ethnic intimidation and one count of assault. The charges were filed after an encounter in which two off-duty law enforcement officers identified themselves as federal task force members and confronted a bar patron they believed was in the United States illegally, despite the responding officers later determining the man’s identification was valid.

What the jury heard about the late-night confrontation

The case focused on what occurred when local police were called to the tavern for a reported disturbance and arrived to find the truck driver being physically restrained outside the bar. Body-camera recordings from responding officers captured parts of the encounter, including statements by the off-duty officers about the man’s citizenship and their claimed safety concerns.

The detained man, described by police in court filings and public statements as a 38-year-old refugee from Ethiopia who had lived in the United States for years, told responding officers he was a commercial truck driver based in Texas and in the area for a delivery. Investigative accounts said the confrontation escalated from questioning inside the bar to a physical removal from the premises, during which the man reported that his phone and wallet were taken.

• The incident occurred shortly before midnight on April 26, 2024, at Buzzard’s Roost Tavern in Hinckley Township.
• Responding officers documented that the man was pinned on the ground when they arrived.
• Authorities said the two off-duty officers had been drinking and asserted federal task force authority during the encounter.

Co-defendant’s plea and employment actions

Kopchak was indicted alongside Daniel LaJack, then associated with a narcotics agency and assigned to a federal task force at the time of the incident. LaJack later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted abduction, with sentencing scheduled separately. Kopchak’s case proceeded to a jury trial and ended with convictions on the counts submitted to the jury.

After the indictment, Cleveland police placed Kopchak on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings. Records and prior reporting also documented that task force assignments for the officers involved were affected as the investigation moved forward.

The prosecution alleged the detention amounted to an unlawful restraint and assault driven in part by the man’s perceived national origin or immigration status—claims the defense disputed during trial.

What comes next

Sentencing had not been announced in the materials available at the time of publication. Court procedures typically require a separate sentencing hearing following a felony jury verdict, where the judge considers statutory ranges, any victim impact statements, and pre-sentence investigations before imposing penalties.

The convictions conclude the jury phase of the case but do not preclude post-trial motions or appellate review under Ohio criminal procedure.