His answer is quick – “No comment” – but then it’s his facial expression that delivers the seriousness of his message.
That’s how Belmont County Sheriff James Zusack has reacted to questions from the media since it was announced last Thursday that 32-year-old Andrew Isaac Griffin was arrested in Hawaii for the 2021 homicides of Angela and Thomas Strussion. Griffin was Tom Strussion’s business partner in the Salsa Joe’s eatery in the Elm Grove section of Wheeling.
The arrest, according to the press release distributed last week to local press, stemmed from a multi-year investigation involving the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of various other law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
Griffin is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, according to the release. Formal proceedings will occur before the Belmont County Grand Jury where the facts will be presented and an indictment sought, the press release stated.
According to a Saturday report in the Wheeling Intelligencer, Griffin is set to have an extradition hearing this Friday in Hilo Circuit Court in front of Judge Henry Nakamoto.
“And the press release is the press release. That’s it,” Sheriff Zusack said Monday on River Talk 100.1 FM. “There will be a press conference in the future, but there’s not a date for that at this time.
“When there is an ongoing investigation, we can’t answer any questions because we don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the hard work that’s been done to this point,” he explained. “It’s not just this case. It’s any case we may be investigating.
Tom and Angela Strussion were discovered deceased on September 21, 2021, after smoke coming from their home on Trails End Road was reported by a neighbor to Belmont County 911 early in the morning. Once firefighters arrived and entered the dwelling, the remains of the husband and wife were discovered.
The next day, former sheriff Dave Lucas announced that his department had launched an investigation into a double homicide, and Chief Detective Ryan Allar has directed the inquiry ever since.
“As I have said all along,” Sheriff Zusack said, “we haven’t quit working that case since it took place, and we are still working the case. So, there’s nothing more I’m going to release right now. That’s all we can offer the media right now.
“No one will taint this case in any way by saying a thing about it. There’s a process to follow instead,” he said. “So, as it unfolds, that’s when the people find out what they want to know now.”
Not only was Griffin’s arrest announced last week, but the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed on February 19th the arrest of 60-year-old Glenn Trudo, the assistant director of the Belmont County Emergency Management Agency.
The circulated press release stated that the Sheriff’s Office was notified by federal law enforcement of an ongoing investigation involving Mr. Trudo, and that, “subsequently, Belmont County Sheriff’s Detectives assisted the United States Secret Service and the Virginia State Police in executing search warrants at Mr. Trudo’s residence and place of employment.”
A warrant was issued for Trudo’s arrest on two counts of soliciting a minor, and the case is being prosecuted in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, the release stated, will also forward the investigative findings to the Belmont County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
According to the Inmate Roster on the Belmont County Sheriff’s App, Trudo – Inmate ID number 200021321 – remained incarcerated this morning in the Belmont County Jail.
Zusack, however, was attending the Ohio Peace Officer Training for new sheriffs in Columbus, Ohio, last week and was not present for either announcement.
“There were two big developments here in Belmont County while I was gone, so that made the trip more interesting than I expected,” he said. “Once the Trudo arrest took place, my phone started blowing up because that development was unexpected and everyone at the training understood once I explained what I was facing.
“When the press release about Griffin was released, my phone blew up again, but I knew about that situation before it took place and we were ready for it. I had the right people in the right places and everyone did great,” he said. “But a lot of media members called me, and so did a lot of others, too. But as far as what was important, everything was handled the way it was supposed to be.”
