By Hector Flores
The event unfolded when Willard, of West Hempstead, was dispatched to the Westbury nightclub Mirage on Jan. 17, 2004, at 12:45 a.m. At the club, he picked up a 30-year-old woman, who asked to be driven to a friend's house in Bellmore.
Willard drove the woman to the house, but no one was home. He then drove her to an undisclosed location in Bellmore, where he raped and robbed her. After the attack, Willard dropped the woman off at her friend's house.
The woman called police and, after an initial investigation, officers visited Long Island Checker Cab. There, police asked the company's dispatcher to call Willard back to the station for questioning. As he approached the station, he spotted police cars and sped off.
Police chased Willard for 15 miles before he crashed into a guardrail on the Southern State Parkway and ran into the woods, where authorities apprehended him. During the chase, Willard crashed into a police car and damaged two other officers' cars.
He was also convicted of first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree robbery, fourth-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of second-degree assault, third degree criminal mischief, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment and two counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief. The sentence will run consecutively.
Willard was convicted on March 11, and Nassau County District Attorney Denis Dillon announced the sentencing last Friday.
Comments about this story? Hflores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
