Thane Woodson was a prisoner at Lompoc Prison before the Innocence Project allowed him out to prove someone else committed the crime he was charged with- burglary and armed robbery. He needed to prove it wasn't him before he received his $100,000 restitution. He hired Shawn and Gus to help prove his innocence. He is portrayed by Anthony Anderson.
Character Biography[]
True Grits[]
In "True Grits", Thane is released from prison due to the Innocence Project, but won't be given his $100,000 restitution until he's proven innocent. He and his Lawyer Mandelbaum decide to go to Psych for help, as he's heard a lot about them from other prisoners in Lompoc (some of whom also want to kill them the moment they get out). At first the guys don't want to take his case, however when he tells them his story about all he lost, including his lady so she wouldn't have to wait for him to get out of prison, they tear up and accept the case. After Shawn and Gus go and brag to Juliet about the case, she tells them that it was she who put Thane away.
The first thing the three do is confront the man who's eyewitness report put him behind bars, a chef named Mercer at the old place where Thane worked and allegedly robbed. At first Thane forgives him, but then begins screaming at him and Shawn and Gus must calm him down. Mercer says that the cops put a lot of pressure on him to identify the robber as Thane. They then go to a convenience store, as the robbery there that took place over a month ago was a lot like the robbery Thane was arrested for. When they get there a worker identifies Thane as the robber, but that is impossible as Thane was in jail at the time. They get a call while at the convenience store saying that a jewelry store was robbed, and it has the same M.O. as the convenience store. They show up, and there the manager IDs Thane as the robber, which again is impossible as he was with Shawn and Gus. He will also shoplift something when Shawn is on a phone call with his father.
There, Juliet says she's beginning to think Thane may be innocent, but Thane insists that no cops get involved or else they won't get paid. Shawn and Gus have no clue what he's talking about, and he tells them that the contract states that they get $10,000 if they catch the real thief. They cut off contact with the police, but this starts a competitive Juliet not allowing Shawn in on any of the case information.
After Shawn and Gus discovers that the renovations done at both the jewelry store and the convenience store were done with day laborers, and the only one at both jobs was a man named Carl; Shawn, Gus and Thane go to confront Carl, however instead meet Carl's father Fred. They see a picture of Carl and he looks a lot like Thane. Shawn and Gus go to see Mercer again, however they find him dead in a freezer. The surveillance video shows Thane walk in then run out, and Shawn and Gus think he did it, and he's arrested. Thane claims he was there trying to get his job back, and saw Mercer dead and was scared so he ran away. Shawn and Gus aren't buying it, however Juliet and his lawyer come in to free him, as an eye witness so another man run out the window an hour before Thane got there. Thane hugs Juliet and fires Shawn and Gus.
Shawn, Gus, Juliet and Lassiter go to Carl's ex girlfriend's apartment. She claims she hasn't seen him, however they catch him climbing out her window. As they're taking him in they are hit by a truck. Using DNA they discover it was Fred, and that he murdered someone years before and didn't want the connection from Carl's murder. As such, Fred had paid off Mercer Lawrence to arrest Thane and planted the gun that Juliet had found in Thane's car. They trace them to a warehouse, where Carl gives himself up and convinces his father to do the same.
Thane goes back to the police station to thank Shawn, Gus and Juliet, and says he'll pay Shawn and Gus. He bought himself a shiny red Mustang, but leaves without paying Shawn and Gus, and runs a stop sign and a red light, so Shawn, Gus and Juliet give chase.