Yikes---Judge sets $75K bail for Virginia man accused of having weapons cache at N.J. motel

Thankfully people are starting to pay attention and taking action...

Good reason to trust your gut people. Better to call 911 over something like this, instead of a fucked up happy meal.



[link to www.nj.com]

BRANCHBURG — The Virginia man accused of having an arsenal of weapons including a grenade launcher and a map of a U.S. military installation stashed in his Branchburg motel room made a brief appearance before a Superior Court judge today.

Dressed in olive prison garb with his hands cuffed in front of him, Lloyd Woodson, 43, barely gave a passing glance at the throng of reporters crowded into the courtroom, where Judge John Pursel presided. Bail previously was set at $75,000.

When Pursel greeted him, Woodson stood and said “good afternoon,” in a voice that was barely audible. When asked if he could read English, he said, “yes.”
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Related coverage:

• FBI finds no terrorism link to Virginia man with weapons cache in N.J. motel room

• Virginia man had weapons cache, grenade launcher stashed in N.J. hotel room


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Woodson faces multiple weapons offenses after his arrest early Monday led to the discovery of weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at the Red Mill Inn motel in Branchburg, where he had been staying.

While detectives also found a map of a U.S. military base and a civilian community, the FBI has determined there does not appear to be any link between Woodson and terrorism, said FBI Special Agent Brian Travers.

“Woodson does not appear to have a link to any known terrorist groups, nor a specific terrorist plot,” Travers said. “However, the matter is still under investigation and these should only be considered preliminary findings.”

Woodson is accused of multiple offenses, including second-degree unlawful possession of weapons and fourth-degree possession of defaced firearms and prohibited weapons-armored penetrating bullets.

Woodson was questioned by police Monday at around 4 a.m. after a worker at the Quick Chek convenience store on Route in Branchburg reported he was acting suspiciously, Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne Forrest has said.

Patrolman Steven Cronce asked Woodson if he was “O.K.,” according to the affidavit filed in Superior Court. Woodson responded, “‘I’m getting some food for my kids,’” court papers state.

Woodson appeared nervous, and Cronce noticed a large bulge in the front of his jacket, police said. Woodson ran from the store toward a the neighboring Regency Trailer Park on Route 22, where he was found hiding in the bushes, police said.

Cronce drew his service weapon and ordered Woodson to show his hands, but the man refused and ran into the parking lot where additional patrolman tackled him and used pepper spray to subdue him, police said.

They also found a loaded Bushmaster assault rifle inside his coat, police said He was wearing a ballistic vest had four additional magazines carrying ball-type and hollow0point bullets and several bent coat hangers in his jacket pocket, police said.

The rifle’s serial number was defaced and the weapon had been altered to fire .50 caliber rounds instead of the .223 rounds, police said.

When police searched Woodson's room at the Red Mill Inn, they found a grenade launcher, another assault rifle, a Middle Eastern headdress and a map of a military installation and an out-of-state civilian community. Prosecutor Forrest declined to identify the locations on the maps for security reasons.

So far, authorities have not yet identified where Woodson obtained the weapons, but the investigation continues, Forrest said today.

Woodson enlisted in the U.S. Navy in August 1988, but deserted in April of 1989, said Lt. Justin Cole, a U.S. Navy spokesman. He could not say under what grounds Woodson was discharged.

“When an individual is absent without authorization from his or her command for 30 days, they are considered to be a deserter,” Cole said. “In most cases, the military does not actively search for deserters. The authorities are contacted and it is noted on that person’s record. In many cases, a simple traffic stop years later results in the individual being located.”