COLUMBUS, Ohio – Arthur M. Cahoon has been booked into the Franklin County Jail following a prison sentence in the 2025 death of William Joseph “Joey” Woods, according to Franklin County court records and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office inmate database.
Court records for case 25 CR 03368 show Cahoon entered a guilty plea to a lesser included offense of involuntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony. A related felonious assault charge was dismissed through a nolle prosequi. Recent docket entries include notices of a prison commitment and an indefinite sentence. Sheriff’s records list Cahoon as booked on Aug. 19, 2026, on the involuntary manslaughter charge under the same case number, with no bond set. He is currently assigned to the James A. Karnes facility.
The case stems from an incident on May 27, 2025. Columbus Division of Police officers responded around 1:34 a.m. to the 2000 block of Ottis Court for a report of an unresponsive person. They found 37-year-old William J. Woods and provided aid until Columbus Division of Fire medics arrived. Woods was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died on May 30, 2025, from a subarachnoid hemorrhage caused by blunt force trauma to the head, according to information released by police and reported in court documents.
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office ruled the death a homicide on June 17, 2025. Detectives obtained a warrant, and Columbus SWAT took Cahoon into custody that day. He was initially charged with murder.
Court documents, as reported by local news outlets citing municipal court filings at the time of the arrest, stated that Cahoon approached Woods, challenged him to a fight, and struck him in the face with a closed fist. Woods did not attempt to defend himself. After Woods fell to his knees, Cahoon struck him again, causing him to fall to the ground. Cahoon left the area about 30 minutes before officers arrived.
The case was bound over to the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Judge Andrea C. Noble is assigned. Cahoon is represented by attorney Samuel H. Shamansky. Prosecutors include Kirk L. Shaw and Michael J. McLean.
Woods, a Grove City resident born May 21, 1988, was described in his obituary as a diesel mechanic, classic car enthusiast, and devoted father. He was survived by his children, parents, siblings, and other family members.
Public court dockets and sheriff’s records confirm the plea disposition, the prison-related filings, and the Aug. 19, 2026, booking. No further details on the precise prison term beyond the indefinite sentence designation appear in the publicly available docket entries reviewed for this report.
