Case Snapshot
Case ID: 16905
Classification: Mutilation/Torture
Animal: rodent/small mammal (pet)
More cases in Warren County, VA
More cases in VA
« Back to Search Results
Login to Watch this Case

New features are coming soon. Login with Facebook to get an early start and help us test them out!


Attorneys/Judges
Prosecutor(s): Elizabeth M. Bradley
Defense(s): Margarita Wood
Judge(s): W. Dale Houff


For more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.



Monday, Feb 1, 2010

County: Warren

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Charles Hamilton Woodson

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

A town man has been charged with animal cruelty for skinning a guinea pig and making a head ornament out of it.

Charles Woodson, 40, of 405 E. Criser Road, Apt. 301, remains free on a $2,500 personal recognizance bond pending a March 23 return in Warren County General District Court.

If convicted of the class 1 misdemeanor, Woodson faces a maximum punishment of 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Animal control officer Gerald L. Cubbage says in a criminal complaint form on file in court records that Woodson purchased the guinea pig from Noah's Ark Pet & Aquarium store in Front Royal.

"Charles Woodson was seen by neighbors wearing the skin of a guinea pig on his head," Cubbage says in the complaint form.

Woodson was arrested by Deputy Jim Petty on March 1 and charged with committing animal cruelty on Feb. 1, according to the arrest warrant.

Deputy Laura L. Gomez, who is also assigned to animal control, worked with Cubbage on the investigation of Woodson. Gomez says in a search warrant inventory and return on file in Circuit Court that authorities seized a "black/golden guinea pig hide including head," and the "leg to small animal" from Woodson's residence.

Gomez goes on to say in the affidavit for the search warrant that the residence to search was located in the Royal Arms Apartments on Criser Road.

"Front door is dark in color with multiple religious documents affixed to it: one item a poster having a female holding a child and three men facing female in poster," Gomez says. "Another document stating Catholic discussion group, to far left additional document religious in nature and another at bottom of center of door."

Gomez says that "two witnesses" produced a photo of a male wearing the guinea pig on his head.

"Deputy Cubbage personally witnessed the male subject wearing this head piece and exiting this residence," Gomez states.

In a Wednesday telephone interview, Gomez said it was important for authorities to act swiftly.

"Our concern is that it would escalate and we don't want the public to think it's OK to purchase pets from a pet store and make clothing out of them," she said.

Commonwealth's Attorney Brian M. Madden says in a Wednesday e-mail to the Daily that the statute that Woodson is charge under "applies to any animal."

Gomez said all pets are treated equally under the law.

"Anything that you could consider a companion animal, even down to a reptile," she said. "Animals that you would buy from a pet store. Every call and every situation is different, but animal cruelty is pretty cut and dry."

Woodson's investigation was treated seriously, Gomez said, adding that Woodson was taken for a mental health evaluation.

"Our concern was to find out what was going on in the residence," she said. "It's out of the ordinary to have someone skin a guinea pig and make an ornament out of it."


Case Updates

A town man was found guilty Tuesday of animal cruelty for skinning a guinea pig and making a head ornament out of it.

Charles Woodson, 41, of 405 E. Criser Road, Apt. 301, appeared for trial in Warren County General District Court on Tuesday afternoon. Woodson was initially arrested and charged with animal cruelty, a class 1 misdemeanor, on March 1.

According to a criminal complaint, Woodson purchased a guinea pig from a pet store, and neighbors later saw him "wearing the skin of a guinea pig on his head." As police approached Woodson's apartment, he walked out of the unit with the guinea pig skin on his head, according to the complaint. Authorities say Woodson committed the animal cruelty crime on or about Feb. 1.

Woodson pleaded not guilty to the animal cruelty charge prior to the start of Tuesday's trial. Flanked by his lawyer and wearing orange jail garb, Woodson appeared to be unusually calm and was grinning sporadically while in the courtroom.

About a half dozen witnesses testified, including a pet store employee who said she sold a guinea pig to Woodson. Neighbors and deputies also testified that they saw Woodson parading the guinea pig ornament on his head. Police also said they found what appeared to be the animal's leg on a table in Woodson's apartment. Despite the testimony, Woodson's attorney, Margarita Wood, argued that the commonwealth failed to present sufficient evidence to prove beyond a doubt that her client actually killed the guinea pig.

However, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Elizabeth M. Bradley said the testimony and evidence clearly proved that Woodson severed the animal's head and slit its throat with a knife. Woodson previously declared that he killed the guinea pig humanely, and at most was only guilty of a hunting violation. Woodson also alluded to Davy Crockett, an American folk hero often depicted wearing a raccoon hat, as possible inspiration for him to make a hat out of the guinea pig.

After finding him guilty of animal cruelty, Judge W. Dale Houff sentenced Woodson to six months in jail and suspended four months from the term. He had faced up to a year in jail.

Houff also suspended a $1,000 fine against Woodson and ordered him to serve one year of unsupervised probation. He also must continue to undergo counseling and is prohibited from owning any pets for at least a year. Houff also found Woodson guilty of violating terms of his bond on March 28, when he allegedly directed a throat-slashing gesture at a group of children at his apartment building. Houff did not impose an additional sentence for that conviction. Wood said she and her client plan to appeal the rulings.

Woodson recently underwent a mental evaluation, but Bradley declined to discuss its findings after Tuesday's trial. Woodson is being held without bond at the Warren County Jail. He has remained in custody since he was arrested on the bond violation March 28.
Source: nvdaily.com - May. 19, 2010
Update posted on Nov 19, 2010 - 6:03PM 
Authorities have requested an additional search warrant for the home of a town man charged with animal cruelty.

Charles W. Woodson, 41, of 405 E. Criser Road, Apt. 301, was charged with animal cruelty Feb. 1 for allegedly purchasing a guinea pig from a local pet store and making a head ornament out of it.

A trial date has been set for May 18 in Warren County General District Court.

In a March 30 affidavit for a search warrant on file in Circuit Court, Deputy Laura L. Gomez says that authorities are seeking a second search warrant based on other evidence in the case against Woodson.

Gomez says that on March 12, Woodson contacted neighbors asking them to purchase him "a guinea pig or hamster," with Woodson aware that he could not possess such an animal as a condition of his March 1 bond.

"A pizza delivery driver delivered pizza to this residence on Wed., March 24, 2010, and could hear animal noises coming from the residence," Gomez says. "Town police officers were at this residence on Sunday, March 28, 2010, and noticed a plate of food with small animal bones of unknown origin. Subject had been previously released on bond with conditions of not having any animals in his possession."

In describing the items to be searched for in Woodson's apartment, Gomez says the list should "include but not be limited to guinea pigs, cats, dogs or any animal deemed a companion animal."

Gomez goes on to say that authorities would be looking for "medications, veterinary records, animal food or any items for the care of companion animals."

Other items that would be sought, Gomez says, include "surgical tools, knives, medical supplies. Any magazines or paperwork that identifies domesticated animals. Any registration papers or other written materials showing ownership, including bill of sales, pedigrees, breeding records, names and telephone numbers and/or address books."

Also, Gomez adds, "Any animal bones or carcass."

A return of the search warrant was not on file on Wednesday.

In a criminal complaint filed in court, Kelly N. Mills says that Woodson "pointed his finger at my three children," who are between the ages of 1 and 3, "while we were walking down the steps at 405 E. Criser Road and ran his finger across his throat," suggesting he was going to slit their throats. Mills says she lives in the same building as Woodson.

Woodson had been scheduled to appear in General District Court on March 31 for violating the conditions of his $2,500 personal recognizance bond based on Mills' complaint.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Elizabeth M. Bradley has said that Woodson was transferred to Western State Hospital in Staunton for a court-ordered mental evaluation and she was not sure when a new bond hearing will be scheduled.

Bradley could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

In addition to being on good behavior and keeping the peace, Woodson's bond stipulates that he not "have any animals of any kind in [his] home while this case is pending" and that he not leave the state of Virginia.

A native of Virginia, Woodson has said that he is on disability after sustaining a closed head trauma as the result of being hit by a truck when he was doing graduate work in California about 15 years ago.

Woodson has said that he is a graduate of Virginia Tech and that he humanely killed the guinea pig for which he was charged by swiftly severing its spinal column.
Source: nvdaily.com - Apr. 8, 2010
Update posted on Nov 19, 2010 - 6:01PM 

References

« Back to Search Results
« VA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Warren County, VA

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.