Lakemore police officer facing trial for on-duty gunfire resigns

A Lakemore officer facing prosecution after firing his gun while responding to a break-in is resigning from the department, the village's police chief said Wednesday.

Officer Dylan Ukleja was indicted in late April in Summit County Common Pleas Court on a single count of felonious assault stemming from the September 2022 incident, about four months after he joined the department.

In the incident, Ukleja fired three shots at a man wielding a crowbar.

The man was not hit by gunfire, and later pleaded guilty to breaking and entering.

Ukleja declined to comment Wednesday and referred questions to his attorney, Joseph Gorman.

In an emailed statement, Gorman said Ukleja was a 22-year-old inexperienced officer who made a split-second decision to fire. He said Ukleja "now finds himself fighting for his career and his livelihood and is struggling with the enormous pressure he is currently under. Whatever the outcome of these matters, I believe him to be a good kid."

Lakemore Police Chief Roy Smith said in an emailed statement that Ukleja was placed on administrative leave May 20 and resigned effective Monday.

In response to a question about whether the department has changed its training procedures following the 2022 shooting, Smith did not identify specific changes resulting from the incident, but said training is a priority for the department.

"The village is continually evaluating and improving the training it provides to law enforcement officers," he said.

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him ataashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj or Facebook at www.facebook.com/alan.newsman.