Woody White
— serving southeastern
North Carolina for 18 years
C r iminal De f ens e
All felonies and misdemeanors
in State and Federal Court
P e r sonal In jury
Auto accidents
Damages against drunk drivers
Pedestrian accidents
Bicycle accidents
Woody White is a senior partner
with White & Hearne, L.L.P.,
a general practice, criminal and
personal injury law firm in Wilmington.
Since 1994, Woody has focused on
representing defendants charged
with serious criminal offenses, as
well as plaintiffs who have been
victims of negligence or abusive
conduct. He handles cases involving
motor vehicle accidents, damages
against drunk drivers, bicycle accidents, as
well as those charged with criminal offenses.
Woody is a former North Carolina state
senator, having been appointed by the governor
of North Carolina to serve in the legislature in
2004. He has twice been recognized by
Business North Carolina magazine as a
member of its “LEGAL ELITE”, winning
the award in 2007 and 2010.
This year marks Woody’s designation
to the Super Lawyers® list.
As a Board Certified Specialist
in State and Federal Criminal Law,
Woody has extensive courtroom experience
and has won numerous jury trials.
(800) 807-4783 • (910) 313-3336
WilmingtonPersonalInjuryLaw.com • WhiteAndHearne.com
52
WBM june 2012
been for a sustained period of time. I
feel very fortunate that I was able to
get in and out without anything bad
happening.
WBM What were the scariest
moments in Somalia and Columbia?
MB In Somalia I was just terrified
pretty much the whole time. There’s
fighting going on everywhere and
there’s 10-year olds with AK-47s. The
clan that I was supposed to be received
by as a guest told me to leave. I hired
my own gunmen to protect me from
them. I was just feeling my way into
it. I knew it was a dangerous situation.
And also, everyone is speaking another
language. You’re relying on people
who you don’t really know. I’d gone a
long way to get there, and I was determined
not to leave unless someone
actually did something to me. I had
been threatened, but no one actually
shot at me that I’m aware of. Part of
it was just stubbornness. Courage is
partly stupidity, so I was right there.
I’m not a very brave person, so I must
have been really incredibly stupid.
In Columbia, I was working on
a book about Pablo Escobar. This
was back in a time when the FARC
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Columbia and ELN The National
Liberation Army were kidnapping
Americans, in the mountains especially.
So when we had to go up to a
mountain village, or someplace off in
the hills, we would always try to get
back to Bogotá before sunset. I was
sometimes looking out the car window
when the sun was going down — and
we’re still winding through these roads
— thinking, “I hope we get out of
here before it turns dark.” Literally,
the guerrillas would set up road blocks
to stop every car. If you were an
American then they would take you.
WBM What was it like to have “Black
Hawk Down” adapted into a movie?
MB Well, I have yet to see the downside.
It was one of the best experiences
of my life. First of all, it’s a windfall