Michael Seth Woodson of Walnut Ridge was sentenced to forty years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections on Tuesday afternoon in Lawrence County.
He pled guilty to rape and a plethora of other sex crimes, including but not limited
to, attempted sexually grooming a child, possession of child pornography, sexual
assault in the second degree, attempted engaging a child in sexually explicit conduct, and many others.
Two months prior, Deputy Prosecutor Ethan Weeks tried a rape case with a jury against James Woods and got a verdict for life plus 149 years. Now Weeks also gets credit for the convictions in this case. Mr. Weeks spent weeks preparing for a jury trial. He never ceded an inch during plea negotiations. Investigator Chris Parnell of the Walnut Ridge Police Department also deserves credit, as he spent many weeks investigating and put together a great case.
Finally, the prosecutor’s staff in Lawrence County, Jennifer Broadway and Celea VanKirk,
deserve credit for building a good relationship with the victims and preparing the
case for trial.
IL covered the story of Woodson’s arrest in June of 2023.
http://www.imbodenlive.com/2023/07/27/walnut-ridge-man-arrested-on-child-exploitation-charges/
http://www.imbodenlive.com/2023/07/28/accused-child-predator-attempted-suicide-using-viagra/