Man gets over 5 years in prison for knife attack outside Chesapeake courthouse

CHESAPEAKE — A man who cut his estranged wife’s arm and attacked another man with a knife outside a Chesapeake courthouse in 2019 will serve five years and nine months in prison.

Earlier this month, a Circuit Court judge sentenced 58-year-old James Franklin Wood to 17 years behind bars, with 11 years and three months suspended.

Under an agreement with prosecutors, Wood pleaded guilty in October to felony charges of malicious wounding and unlawful wounding, court records show.

James Franklin Wood has been charged in a stabbing outside the Chesapeake courthouse Sept. 30, 2019.
- Original Source: Virginian-Pilot — James Franklin Wood has been charged in a stabbing outside the Chesapeake courthouse Sept. 30, 2019. - Original Source: Virginian-Pilot (Chesapeake Police Department / HANDOUT)

The attack happened shortly after noon Sept. 30, 2019, outside the building that houses the circuit and general district courts.

[ Previous coverage: Man stabbed outside Chesapeake courthouse while waiting in line for lunch ]

A man was getting food from the hot dog vendor outside the courthouse when Wood jumped on his back and attacked him with a knife, prosecutors wrote in a summary of their evidence filed in court. The man had 16 to 18 cuts or stab wounds on his face, neck, arm and back, according to prosecutors.

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At the time of Wood’s arrest, police said there had been an argument before the attack, but court records don’t say that.

Wood’s wife had been sitting on a bench near the man, and she tried to pull Wood off of him, which is when Wood cut her arm with the knife, prosecutors wrote.

The woman who operates the hot dog stand ran inside the courthouse for help, and deputies quickly detained Wood.

Wood’s wife had an emergency protective order that was served on him that day, and he wasn’t supposed to have contact with her.

She was in court for a different case and she said she didn’t know why Wood was there, since he wasn’t involved, prosecutors wrote in their summary. Police later searched Wood’s vehicle and found a court file inside that appeared to belong to his wife and listed her court dates and times.

At a sentencing hearing March 19, the judge also sentenced Wood to serve two months on an unrelated conviction for possessing cocaine in 2019.

Margaret Matray, 757-222-5216, margaret.matray@pilotonline.com