“Who’s that tall fella?”
“Oh, that’s ‘Big John’.”
And that’s how it usually starts when tales are told about locally famous John Gruzinskas, a man who moved to Marshall County nearly 50 years ago and became a law enforcement legend. Not only did he serve as a West Virginia State Trooper for nearly 25 years, but he was elected as a two-term, eight-year county sheriff, too.
He encountered prison riots, organized crime, and a criminal cult masquerading as Krishna consciousness as a trooper, and he guided the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office into a new crime-fighting era that included the creation of a county drug task force. Gruzinskas is now serving his third term as one of three members of the Marshall County Commission, and he’s the main feature in a new book written by C.J. Plogger titled “Big John: The Man Behind the Badge”.
“I met his daughter and son-in-law, Hoagie, before I met John, and they told me about his career in law enforcement before he started serving on the (Marshall) County Commission,” Plogger recalled. “I heard that he was fair no matter what role he was in, and that he believed people should do the right thing when confronted with that kind of choice.
“In the nine years I’ve lived in Marshall County, I’ve only run across one people who criticized John for the way he did his job in law enforcement,” he said. “Of course, the lady then told me John had given her a ticket 40 years ago.”
Plogger has composed and published a number of books involving the history of the former W.Va. Penitentiary, many of which are on sale now on Amazon. “The Man Behind the Badge” is available, too, and the book can also be purchased at the Moundsville Pharmacy. Along with interviewing Gruzinskas, Plogger took to the street to speak with as many locals as possible.
“I’ve even talked with others whom John arrested and they didn’t have a negative thing to say. They said he arrested them but still treated them with respect,” he recalled. “After that, I just started hearing story after story about him and that’s when I knew he was definitely a part of the story about Marshall County. That’s when I knew I wanted to record John and his story and here we are.
“Based on the years he served as a state trooper, as the sheriff, and on the respect so many people gave him when they were talking about John, I just knew I had to write about him,” he said. “There are stories in the book that are hilarious and there are others that are sad stories, but those memories are part of the history of Marshall County and I was honored to work with John on it.”
Tales Be Told
Six feet and seven inches. That’s 10 inches taller than the average American male, and more than a foot taller than most females.
So, when Trooper Gruzinskas started patrolling the Marshall County area, he was hard to miss.
“When I first started as a state trooper, there were more bars in Moundsville than anything else, and there were nights when people just wanted a fight,” Gruzinskas recalled. “And it was very industrial back then, so the people worked hard, and they played hard, and there were times when altercations took place because some just wanted to take a shot.
“Now, there have been many times when I received a call and when I got there, I knew a lot of the people who were involved in an incident of some kind, but that’s when you had to put those friendships aside and do your job,” he said. “I can remember when I was still training, we got a call from a wedding, and after the groom got arrested for fighting, the bride didn’t want to be alone on her wedding night, so she punched one of the Benwood police officers and got arrested.”
New Vrindaban is a community located near Limestone, and it was founded in the late 1960s as a place where members of the International Society of the Krishna Consciousness could lived and visit while on religious pilgrimages. The members constructed the “Palace of Gold” as a tribute to the movements founder, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and it became one of the region’s most popular tourist attractions.
Until that is, New Vrindaban was infiltrated by individuals who twisted the community’s workforce into working in criminal operations the federal government later classified as racketeering and copyright counterfeiting.
“It was one of the first places my training officer took me when I started because he said it was something I needed to see and try to understand, and once we started to get reports from up there, I knew he was right,” Gruzinskas remembered. “There were a few years when I was in that area of Marshall County a lot, and once federal authorities got involved, we knew it was a pretty big deal.
“I’m glad to see where (New Vrindaban) is today because that’s all the devotees wanted it to be,” he said. “Keith Ham was the individual who turned it criminal, and he was one of the meanest individuals I’ve ever met.”
Near the front of the book, John dedicates “The Man Behind the Badge” to W.Va. Trooper Philip S. Kesner, a colleague and friend who was shot and killed during the prison break in Moundsville in November 1979.
“There were good days and there were bad days as a trooper, but that was the worst,” “Big John said quietly. “Phil was a good man.”
A Storied Career
Not only is Plogger an accomplished author who has documented more history on the former prison in Moundsville, but he also serves as the senior pastor at Ash Avenue Church of God and he’s the founder of the Future of Moundsville Youth Center.
Along with “The Man Behind the Badge”, Plogger has showcased Moundsville councilman Gene Saunders, W.Va. Pen Correctional Officer Chuck Ghent, and the story of officer Maggie Gray.
“When C.J. first approached me, I had no idea how it would all work, and I was resistant at first because it wasn’t something I had ever thought about. But I ‘m glad we did it,” Gruzinskas admitted. “That’s because it allowed me to remember a lot of stories I had forgotten about, and it helped me remember a lot of people, too, and that was a lot of fun.
“It was emotional because of all of the memories,” he said. “There are a lot of stories in the book that a lot of people will enjoy because they’ll remember a lot of things, too.”
The law enforcement field has changed a great deal since Gruzinskas first arrived in Marshall County in the mid-1970s, and that’s why he feels today’s officers are better equipped for a more challenging world.
“The residents of Marshall County are lucky now because our Sheriff’s Department has a lot more deputies on the road and protecting the public now than when I was the sheriff here in Marshall County,” Gruzinskas explained. “And our members of law enforcement are doing more than ever before because responsibilities have been added over the years. The job has evolved a great deal.
“We had some very serious situations when I was a trooper, and when I was the Sheriff, too, but they seem to take place more often these days,” he said. “That’s why there is a lot more training that’s available now for members of law enforcement, and there’s a lot more equipment, too. Law enforcement certainly has changed over the years.”
That’s why, when he’s asked if he would do it all over again, “Big John” pauses before answering.
“You know, I don’t know if I would choose the same profession if I had to make the same decision again, and that’s because it’s changed so much,” he admitted. “It’s turned deadly, and it’s turned more violent in situations where you would never expect knives or guns to come out.
“I enjoyed serving as a state trooper and as the sheriff, and I am thankful the Good Lord helps you forget about some of the bad parts,” he added. “While I came to know a lot of people and I’ve been involved with my community for a long time, it wasn’t all steak frys and good times.
“Honestly, though, I have no regrets at all, and I feel very fortunate to still be a part of the Marshall County community today.”
