Stephen Duane Woods, Gun Possession, Michigan 2023

GRAND RAPIDS – In a move aimed at protecting survivors of domestic violence, a 40-year-old man from Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a gun.

Stephen Duane Woods, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul Maloney for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted Woods federally in part because of his extensive history of domestic violence.

"Woods’s criminal record shows a pattern of violence against women and blatant disregard for the law," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "For a victim of domestic violence, an abuser’s access to a firearm can mean the difference between life and death. We will continue to protect survivors by prosecuting abusers who have no right to touch a gun."

In September 2023, Woods grabbed his girlfriend by the hair, beat her to the ground, and pressed a loaded pistol to her chest. When she stood up, he slapped her in the head. When police came, he ran and hid the pistol in a car.

This is not the first time Woods has committed violent crimes. He has an extensive criminal history, which includes dozens of convictions. This history betrays a pattern of violence against women, including a 2004 conviction for grabbing and holding a woman while his friend beat her, and a 2005 conviction for shoving a woman against a wall and punching her in the mouth.

Woods also has an established pattern of fighting and resisting police. In 2005, after a traffic stop, Woods bit and kicked officers. In 2010, he elbowed an officer’s face and bit his bicep, leaving a full bite mark. And in multiple cases, Woods fled crime scenes and led police on dangerous chases.

"Stephen Woods’s is a habitual domestic abuser,

Every person deserves to live in peace without the threat of gun and or domestic violence,

said Detroit Special Agent in Charge James Deir.

Mr. Woods will have a significant amount free time to reflect on his consistent pattern of abusive relationships with women, and perhaps arrive at a place where he values them. Our community and his family are safer today with Woods in prison.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan has brought other cases to address the threat of domestic violence, including the following:

– Muskegon Heights Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing Gun as A Felon (10/29/24)

– Norton Shores Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking (8/8/24)

– Two Lansing Men Sentenced on Gun Charges After Threatening Episode with an Assault Rifle at a Convenience Store (7/18/24)

– Firearms Offender, Prosecuted Under Safe Summer Program, Sentenced to 64 Months (7/2/24)

– Lansing Man Sentenced for Illegal Gun Possession (3/13/24)

– Muskegon Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm Linked to a Homicide (12/6/23)

– Serial Domestic Abuser Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm (9/13/23)

– Muskegon Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Stalking his Ex-Wife and Possessing Firearms (6/5/23)

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Across the nation and in Michigan domestic violence is a serious threat. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner. Moreover, studies have shown that domestic violence perpetrators often use firearms to abuse and control their victims, who are five times as likely to be killed if their abuser has access to a firearm.

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