Terra Bella Man Sentenced to Prison for Domestic Violence

On Wednesday, February 23, 2020, in Department 5 of the Tulare County Superior Court, the court sentenced Leland Wood, age 48, to 8 years in state prison for a crime that occurred in December of 2019. On November 4, 2020, a jury convicted Wood of inflicting injury upon an intimate partner, and personally inflicting great bodily injury under circumstances involving domestic violence.

During an argument with his ex-girlfriend on December 11, 2019, Wood bit off a portion of her index finger. He then fled to his mother’s house, where he told his mother he was going to jail. Wood also told her that he would hold his cellular phone like a gun so police would shoot him. Police later arrested him without incident.

When police arrived at the scene of the incident, they found the victim bleeding profusely from her finger and screaming in pain. Emergency medical service personnel rushed the victim to a hospital, where she was treated for her partially-amputated finger. The missing portion of her finger was never found.

Wood’s prior felony record includes a second-degree burglary in 1993, separate first-degree burglaries in 1996, and drug possession charges in 1996 and 2003.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Avi Feinstein and was investigated by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office.

Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare
Assistant District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494