George Woodman

The "monarch" of Greenvale, as York describes him, George Woodman is an old-school cop who believes his hard-ass methods are the best way to investigative success. A self-described "passionate" man, George chafes under York's authority but eventually softens and grows to understand him, sharing even his intimately painful backstory with the young agent. Throughout the game, George provides a more stern and traditional foil to York's more eccentric practices, as well as providing York with the necessary tools he needs to solve the case despite having some initial misgivings about allowing York to assume full command of the case.

History
George was raised alone by his mother, not knowing who his father was. His mother was severely mentally ill, often going out of her way to abuse and harass her son, physically and emotionally. George's mental and physical scars would never heal, leaving behind a patchwork of scars on his back from her cruel "tree punishment", where she would whip him with the thin branches of the trees in their back yard. To add to it, she insisted that this hurt the trees more than him and George admits that, at one point, he apologised to one of the aforementioned trees. She also left a huge scar on his cheek, where her high heel punctured his cheek when she stepped on it.

Despite his horribly abusive environment, George grew into a strong man and became a hard-line cop, whose success made him rise to the rank of Sheriff, and his dedication and resolve earned him the respect of his entire community. As the Sheriff, George became the unnofficial "leader" of the community as well. As such, it fell on George's shoulders when the murder of Anna was discovered. The fact that the FBI became involved did not help the situation in George's eyes, who was determined to solve the case without outside help.

Personality
George is extremely gruff and stern, proving to be a very serious man, especially when it comes to his job. George has a rather short temper as well, as evidenced by his lack of patience with York, Ushah, and several other characters. George is also a very close follower of the rules, making sure not to break law or regulation whenever he can help it. However, George's stern nature lends to his job rather well, and his dedication to his tasks has earned him the respect and admiration of most of the city. Also, Emily insists that George has a rather compassionate side, which is usually too embarrassed to show others, else ruin his "tough guy" reputation. Despite this, George is also rather secluded, apparently not having many friends outside of the police department.

George also has a fixation with authority and proving his worth, going out of his way to show off his strength and skill. Trophies and symbols of power adorn his office, in a way, York remarks, that looks like he's trying to show off. George's dedication to power and strength lead him to work out constantly, going so far as to actually NAME his dumbells, Arnold and Sylvester (Named after Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, most likely). George admits that this fixation with power is likely a leftover from his abuse, where his mother flaunted her power and strength by being bigger and stronger than him, for a time.

However, late in the game, George is revealed to have a much deeper, darker, hidden side to his personality. George, under the demonic influence of the Red Tree, is ruthless, cunning, and almost sadistic in nature, points he can hide with extreme skill around others. His actions towards his own followers are cruel, leading him to mentally and physically abuse them very badly. He torments those close to him on an emotional level too, including fueling Thomas's inferiority complex and unrequited love, and mocking York for his failures. George's obsession with strength also leads him to kill all the victims of the game's events, and his almost animalistic insanity lead him to physically and sexually torment those subservient to him, including Thomas. However, when faced with defeat, George's madness is further exposed, as he breaks down into a childish persona pleading for forgiveness. He also admits to having felt guilty for killing Anna, but the guilt had long since passed.