Woman gets two years for arson, burglary and destruction of property

By Linda Cicoira

A New Church woman was sentenced Thursday in Accomack Circuit Court to two years of active time in prison for setting fire to a two-story wood-frame house on Gretta Road, where she had been squatting, and burglary and property damage at another nearby unoccupied house.

Thirty-four-year-old Asia Renee Woolford was evicted from the burned house just before the incident occurred on Jan. 4. She denied setting the fire, but admitted she broke into a nearby Horsey Road home and damaged property there about a week later.

Woolford was ordered to pay more than $10,000 in restitution. Upon release, she will be on supervised probation for two years and good behavior for five years. She was also allowed to participate in the reentry program at the Eastern Shore Regional Jail.

Nelson Cancel had recently purchased the house that was destroyed by arson. Firefighters arrived to find fire and dark smoke predominantly coming from the front left side of the first floor. The blaze eventually spread to the second story.

Allison Ford owned the other house. Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan said windows were broken and a hole was made in a section of the living room where soot was found, and the back door was damaged.