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A Phoenix man has been arrested and faces multiple felonies after police say he physically and sexually abused his girlfriend and kept her captive in a backyard shed for at least two weeks.
Police responded to a 911 call around 4 p.m. on July 2. The victim told dispatchers that her boyfriend, Timothy James Wood, 36, had been assaulting her for days, and she managed to break out of the shed where she was being held. She said she ran to a neighbor’s home for help.
The victim said she had recently been evicted and was being kept in a shed behind Wood’s dad’s house for at least 14 days. Wood allegedly restrained her with a tow strap around her ankle, chained the doors shut and stacked bricks outside to prevent her from getting out.
Court documents obtained by AZ Family reveal that police say that Wood repeatedly assaulted her, including hitting her with an electrical cord and cutting her foot with a wood saw when she refused sexual advances.
He reportedly forced her to wear makeup to hide injuries to her face. The woman claimed he threatened to kill her while kneeling on her neck and even buried her in a crawl space under the shed for two days.
Wood was arrested at the scene and booked into Maricopa County Jail on charges including kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, sexual assault, criminal threat, assault and three counts of aggravated assault.
In bond court, he denied the allegations against him, claiming the victim “just got out of the loony bin” and was lying.
However, police found chains, tow straps and a mattress in the shed, which supported the victim’s accusations. A forensic nurse also confirmed her injuries matched the reported assault.
The victim had visible injuries, including bite marks and a broken rib, confirmed later as consistent by hospital staff, officials said.
