By Hector Flores
Willard, of West Hempstead, was dispatched to a Westbury nightclub called Mirage on Jan. 17, 2004, at 12:45 a.m. There 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 her and stole money from her. After, 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.
Willard was also convicted of first-degree sexual abuse, third-degree robbery, fourth-degree grand larceny, first-degree reckless endangerment, two counts of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, resisting arrest and two counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief. He faces 25 years in prison on the rape charge alone.
He will be sentenced on Friday, April 8.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
