A Lawrence County jury only needed thirty minutes to sentence James Woods to life in prison plus 149 years, to be served consecutively, on the evening of Tue. Jan. 30, 2024. 

The jury found him guilty on all counts, which included one count of Rape, one count of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree, three counts of Possession of Child Pornography and three counts of Engaging a Child in Sexually Explicit Conduct.  

“Deputy Prosecutor Ethan Weeks secured the verdict and sentence. During the trial, he dotted his I’s, crossed his T’s, showed passion, and connected well with the jury. I am proud of Deputy Prosecutor Weeks along with victim advocate Celea VanKirk as well as everyone in the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office. Detective Chris Parnell of the Walnut Ridge Police Department did a great job putting the case together for Mr. Weeks. I hope this sends a message to everyone in the district about how seriously the Third Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office takes our sex crime cases,” said Prosecuting Attorney Devon Holder.  

The verdict is believed to be one of the longest non-capital sentences given by a jury in the Third Judicial District in decades.