Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan gave a “Year In Review” of many of the cases handled by his office for 2025. Flanagan said that the docket was filled with some very important cases from violent crimes to serious drug offenses as well as many others. The prosecutor said that the office handled a multitude of trials and other criminal proceedings and was very pleased with the outcomes.
Flanagan said that the attempted murder case of truck driver Malcolm Williams was a trial that required many hours and resources. The incident occurred on January 30, 2024, and was tried in 2025. In that case, Williams pulled to the side of I-470 pretending that he was going to provide aid to another disabled trucker. Instead, he shot the other truck driver in the face. Flanagan said that the scariest part about this is that there was no provocation.
“We simply still have no motive. He pulled over to the side of the road, walked to the other truck driver and shot him in the face. He then got back in his truck and continued his route,” according to Flanagan. He added that Williams was convicted at trial and received a sentence of 14-19.5 years.
The prosecutor said that 2025 also saw the trial of the mayor of Holloway, Ohio. In that case, Joseph Schaeffer was convicted of threats made to the Office of the Belmont County Auditor. Schaeffer threatened to blow up the courthouse over a disagreement he had with the auditor’s office. The prosecutor said that Schaeffer’s actions scared the employees of that office and such conduct simply could not be tolerated. That trial occurred in June 2025 resulting in a jail sentence for Schaeffer.
Flanagan also said that the Drug Unit from the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office as well as many other local law enforcement agencies were very active in 2025.
“They are always looking to thwart drug activity before it begins. They are very proactive and launched a number of raids on various motel rooms and rental properties. We had some multi-year investigations come together in late 2024 to 2025 that focused on those bringing drugs in or through Belmont County. In that timeframe, we had five individual drug cases involving people from outside of this area culminating in combined sentences of over 80 years,” according to Flanagan.
Flanagan also added that there were a number of cases that the office argued in 2025 in front of the Seventh Appellate District which is located in Mahoning County. Notably, the case of Siqi Yu who was a participant in a nationwide scam. In the Yu case, the prosecution argued that Yu’s conviction should be upheld. The prosecutor explained that Yu was one of many individuals who perpetrated a scam to defraud money by computer or telephone. Yu, who crossed into the country illegally and then sought asylum, had the job of traveling around the country to collect money from victims who were scammed by other members of a criminal organization.
“I have zero tolerance for scammers. They prey upon vulnerable people and many times, deplete the life savings of these folks. Siqi Yu got an 8-11 year sentence, and he deserves every day of it,” said Flanagan. While we only had one victim from Belmont County in this particular scam, we indicted the case under a law known as “Pattern of Corrupt Activity” which gave us the ability to elevate Yu’s sentence, according to the prosecutor. The Seventh Appellate District upheld the conviction of Yu in 2025 and the Ohio Supreme Court refused to hear any additional appeal from Yu. Flanagan said that he anticipates his office will present other individuals associated with the scam to the Belmont County Grand Jury in the coming months.
“We plan to go after as many individuals involved with this scam as we can. The fact that we have a Belmont County victim gives us the jurisdiction to do so,” according to Flanagan.
The prosecutor’s office also argued in front of the Ohio Supreme Court in 2025 on a case wherein the prosecution asked the Supreme Court to keep the conviction of Timothy Bradley in place after it was vacated by the appellate court. Flanagan expects a decision on that matter in early 2026.
Flanagan said that every year there are always, unfortunately, a number of sex offense cases that the office prosecutes. He said the case that garnered the highest sex offense sentence involved an individual who got a 10 years to life sentence. The prosecutor explained that the individual could spend the remainder of his life in prison but does become eligible to see the parole board in 10 years. Based on past practices of the parole board, Flanagan believes that parole is unlikely for several decades given the nature of the offense.
Domestic violence cases are always on the court’s docket, and Flanagan said that 2025 was no different. He said those cases can be difficult as the named victim sometimes does not want to cooperate against the person charged given their relationship with that person. Flanagan said this occurred in an arson case that he tried in 2025 involving Robert Linde. In that case, Linde caused a fire in a bedroom during an argument where he and the victim were present. The fire quickly spread throughout the room and caused a substantial risk of danger to others living in the housing complex.
“This was an attempt to harass and intimidate the victim, and it ended up putting several lives in danger and causing significant damage to the complex. When it came time for trial, our victim did not want to cooperate. We moved forward, anyway, and were able to secure the conviction with a 10-14 year sentence. He will also have to register as an arsonist for the remainder of his life,” said Flanagan.
Also, many of the cases that were presented for prosecution in 2025 to our grand juries over the last year will be heard in 2026, according to Flanagan. One such case is the double homicide of Angela and Thomas Strussion which occurred in 2021. Andrew Griffin was indicted in February 2025 on capital murder charges and trial is scheduled for March 2, 2026.
Flanagan said that the prosecutor’s office is tasked with many obligations in addition to criminal proceedings, including being involved in parole hearings with the Ohio Parole Authority on cases that originated in Belmont County. Flanagan said that 2025 was unique as there were three separate parole hearings involving Belmont County homicide cases. Flanagan said that he attended all three and provided letters arguing against parole.
The prosecutor said that that some of these cases originated several decades ago. The first parole hearing that he attended in 2025 was the case of John R. Fulkerson who was charged with killing his four-year-old daughter in 1981. Fulkerson was again denied parole. Flanagan said that Leroy Charley was the second homicide case for the year where parole was denied. Flanagan said that he actually tried that case in 2005 as a special prosecutor assigned to handle the matter by then-Prosecutor Chris Berhalter given a conflict with that office’s representation.
Flanagan said the last parole hearing of 2025 for his office was that of Nathan Brooks. Brooks, a juvenile at the time, was charged with killing his parents in 1995, a case that captivated the Ohio Valley and garnered national attention when it occurred. Flanagan said that his parole was also denied.
Flanagan said that the prosecutor’s office is tasked with representing the elected officials of Belmont County as their counsel on matters involving county business. One such matter was the tax foreclosure against East Ohio Regional Hospital. Flanagan said that Treasurer Katherine Kelich advised his office in May 2025 that it was now time to seek foreclosure as the delinquent taxes were not being paid pursuant to an agreement between the hospital and the treasurer. Flanagan said a foreclosure action was then filed. Flanagan also added that other independent investigations are ongoing relating to wages owed to hospital employees.
“We know that there is a civil suit ongoing to recoup money owed to the employees. This office has also requested an independent investigation by local law enforcement and the FBI, and we are awaiting their findings. As soon as we receive those reports, we will determine whether criminal charges are warranted,” said the prosecutor.
As for 2026, Flanagan said it is a continued commitment to the victims and also to each of the local law enforcement officers that we work with on a daily basis that keeps us moving forward. The prosecutor added, “for every case that we handled in 2025, and all other previous years, there is a partnership with our local law enforcement agencies that helped secure the outcome. Our officers deserve so much of the credit for the cases that they investigate and submit to our office for prosecution. Also, in many of our cases, there is a victim of a crime that suffers unjustly. It is our job to make sure that victims receive the satisfaction of knowing that we heard their voice and stood up for them in court.”
Flanagan ended by saying that the prosecutor’s office has grown over the last few years to keep up with the demands.
“Our staff is wonderful and committed to a common goal. Each works very hard towards the success of the office, and we are so fortunate that they are with us. As far as expansion, the growth of the office directly corresponds with our ability to handle the cases the way that we do. In addition to our staff, our commissioners, past and present, deserve a lot of credit for recognizing the work that we do and the needs of the office. The new facility that we moved into in 2021 absolutely serves our needs and provides a place to meet with victims in a dignified and professional manner. We appreciate their support,” said Flanagan.
