Who is Slade Woodson?

Story by Chris Graham
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We’re starting to learn a little bit more about Slade Woodson, the 19-year-old from Afton who is now facing felony charges in Waynesboro related to two shootings early yesterday morning, and is being called a suspect in a series of shootings reported on Interstate 64 in Albemarle County from the same time frame.

According to his MySpace page, Woodson is “a good ol’ country boy” whose interests include “mud boggin, workin on my trux, listenin to music, hangin out with friends.”

Pictures posted on the page show Woodson and vehicles in mud pits and Woodson and friends consuming alcohol.

Woodson wrote on a second MySpace page that he is “just a country boy who keeps gettin his heart broken!!! Ive got my heart broken twice in less then a year… i dunno wat to do…. keep gettin my heart broke or stop caring!!! and i dont wanna stop caring…”

He listed as his occupation on the first page “horse farm.” Woodson was arrested today at a horse farm in Albemarle County.

It is not immediately known if there is a connection between Woodson and the farm where he was arrested.

A Google search of his name came up with three non-shooting-news-related references to Woodson, all about his athletics career at Western Albemarle High School, not far from where the I-64 shootings took place.

Apparently Woodson was a moderately successful pole vaulter at WAHS, finishing eighth in the 2005 Region II championships. He also played JV football for the Warriors, though I couldn’t find any references to him continuing his football career to the varsity level.

What else we know – he was also, according to Virginia State Police Superintendent Steven Flaherty, someone who was “familiar to police,” though Flaherty declined to elaborate on that statement today in a news conference.

According to a report at NewsVirginian.com, Woodson was found guilty in 2007 of misdemeanor petty larceny and destruction of property in connection with the theft and destruction of two trucks in Albemarle County. An investigator with the Albemarle County Fire Marshal’s Office told the Media General News Service that Woodson stole the trucks and ran them hard and fast until they broke down, then set them on fire.

A separate report on NewsVirginian.com revealed a tie to the residence on the 200 block of North Commerce Avenue where shots were fired at the end of the shooting spree Thursday morning. According to the report, a friend of Woodson who lived at the residence had testified against the teen in the case involving the stolen trucks, and the two had had a falling out that resulted in Woodson repeatedly harassing the family and leaving skid marks in the road in front of their home.

Chris Graham is the executive editor of The Augusta Free Press.