Timothy Wood, 36, was arrested after his girlfriend managed to flee a shed she was allegedly held captive in – before appearing at a neighbour’s house covered in cuts and bruises
A man accused of holding his girlfriend captive inside a shed and sexually abusing her for two weeks has been freed from jail.
Police arrested Timothy Wood, 36, on July 2 after the woman managed to flee through an unlocked door and showed up at a neighbour’s house with cuts and bruises all over her body. She told officers that Wood locked her in a shed where she was stuffed into a crawl space for two days, and beat her with an electrical chord. The Phoenix Police Department arrested the dad-of-three for aggravated assault, sexual assault, felony kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment. But after further evidence was obtained through a request by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Wood was released from jail.
Speaking to local news last week, the alleged victim said: “They told me that there was enough evidence to put him away. They told me that they found everything. The forensic nurse even corroborated my injuries. I want to get him off the streets not only to get justice for me, but to keep him from hurting somebody else ‘cause he will.” It comes after a woman, 20, was found dead on bus with 26 iPhones glued to her body.
The Mirror has contacted the Phoenix Police department for comment. Wood, who has a documented history of domestic violence, allegedly chained the woman, physically abused her, and at one point, reportedly buried her alive. Court documents revealed that the dad locked his victim inside a makeshift cell behind his home after she was evicted. The shed was reportedly sealed with chains and bricks, and she was only allowed out when escorted by Wood.
Prosecutors allege the woman was subjected to escalating abuse. She told police the beatings only paused when she agreed to have sex with him. Wood allegedly used an electrical cord to whip her, threatened to saw off her foot, and even knelt on her neck until she couldn’t breathe. At one point, she claimed he confined her in a crawlspace and covered it, effectively burying her alive for two days.
Her eventual escape came when she discovered an unlocked door and fled to a neighbour, who described her as “frantic” and visibly injured, with black eyes, a gash on her head, and multiple bruises. “She was scared to death that he was going to find her and kill her,” the neighbour told Fox 10 Phoenix.
During a recent court appearance, prosecutors stated the woman was repeatedly raped under threat of death and restrained using chains. “This victim, very well for 14 days, may have been worried that she may not survive this incident,” a county attorney said.
Wood denies the allegations, calling them “crazy” and blaming the woman’s mental health, telling the judge she just got “out of the loony bin,” claiming she was prone to “episodes” and that her mother usually handled them. “I wasn’t home at the time. When I got home, the police were there, and this all just kind of broke out,” he added.
In 2007, Wood was arrested for aggravated assault, and later for attempted domestic violence in 2010 – both cases resulting in guilty pleas. In the earlier case, police said witnesses saw him trying to force a screaming woman into his truck. He told officers she was his girlfriend and they were just arguing.
