George Wood hearing set for April

By Laura Beard
Northern Light

Former University of Alaska Anchorage student and “Seawolf Super-Fan” George Michael Wood was recently indicted by a grand jury on three counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of second-degree sexual assault. Wood was arrested Feb. 7 and charged with raping two women during a party at his Mountain View home.

Assistant District Attorney Sue Wilson said a pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 7, and a trial is tentatively set for May 3.

Wood is charged with the first-degree offenses of sexually penetrating two women without consent, and one first-degree offense of engaging in sexual penetration with someone he knew was unaware the act was being committed, according to indicting documents.

Wood is also charged with the second-degree offenses of digital-vaginal penetration without consent, hand-to-breast contact without consent and nonconsensual sexual contact.

Charging documents state that one of the victims had too much to drink, and went to rest on a pullout sleeper that was in Wood’s roommate’s downstairs bedroom. Wood’s roommate and two of the woman’s friends checked on her periodically.

The woman told police that she woke to find Wood having sex with her. She said she attempted to push him off, but could not because he was bigger and stronger than her.

The woman said people were banging on the door and trying to enter the bedroom throughout the sexual assault, but Wood refused to get off of her and yelled that he would “be out in a minute,” according to charging documents.

The victim told officers that the only prior contact she had with Wood was an occasional brief conversation in which they both exchanged “hellos.”

Another woman arrived at the police department at 4:40 that same morning, shaking and crying uncontrollably.

She told police that Wood had introduced himself at approximately 2:30 a.m. The two went to his bedroom and engaged in consensual kissing. Wood then attempted to touch various parts of her body and began undressing her, despite her repeatedly telling him to stop.

The woman said she began to cry and physically resisted his attempts to undress her. She said Wood penetrated her with his finger and then began to have sex with her.

The woman told police that Wood stopped only when people began banging on the door in an attempt to enter. It was at this point the woman was able to get away from him. Wood became angry and told her to “just go.”

Charging documents stated that physical examinations of both women resulted in physical findings consistent with their being sexually assaulted. Police interviewed other persons at the party, confirming the victims’ accounts of banging on the doors during the assaults.

The two victims, Wood’s roommate, and four friends of the victims who were at the party were examined before the grand jury prior to indictment.

Wood has prior convictions of first-degree sexual assault, first-degree attempted sexual assault, and three counts of second-degree sexual assault in 1996. He is being held at Anchorage Correctional Complex East in lieu of $20,000 cash-only bail.