LOCK HAVEN - A Jury of 8 men and 4 women deliberated for a little over 2 hours before returning verdicts of guilty on all 6 counts charged in the case against William Alfred Willits, III, 42, of Hillside Drive in Lock Haven. Following a trial that commenced on Wednesday morning before Clinton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Craig P. Miller, Willits was found guilty Friday afternoon just before 1:00 p.m. on two counts of Rape of a Victim With a Mental Disability (F1), two counts of Aggravated Indecent Assault of a Victim With a Mental Disability (F2), and two counts of Sexual Assault (F2).
District Attorney Dave Strouse prosecuted the case and was assisted by the arresting officer, Corporal Gregory Drollinger of the Woodward Township Police Department. Over the course of the trial, evidence was presented demonstrating that Willits' victim had been diagnosed with Intellectual Disability, or ID, for her entire life. Strouse called two expert witnesses, the victim's special education teacher, and the victim's sister and full-time care provider, all of whom testified to the severity of the victim's disability. The Victim was determined to function at the level of a child between the ages of 5-10 years old. The victim herself also testified, about the incidents, explaining that Willits had engaged in sexual intercourse with her on two occasions inside of his home in August of 2024.
The Defendant and his wife, Fay Willits also testified at trial. Despite evidence that both of them had previously denied any sexual contact occurred between Willits in the victim, at trial, both testified that Willits did engage in sexual intercourse with the victim. But both of the Willits' disputed that the victim actually was mentally disabled. Both claimed the victim to be much smarter than she presented, and claimed that she was sexually aggressive with William Willits almost immediately upon meeting him for the first time. At trial, Fay Willits admitted that she had actually walked into the marital bedroom to find her husband engaged in sexual intercourse with the victim.
Strouse produced multiple prior statements made by both the Defendant and his wife that showed significant discrepancies in their trial testimony compared to what they had previously told the police. Those statements included the Defendant denying any sexual contact with the victim immediately after it was originally reported, and the Defendant becoming angry with Corporal Drollinger and challenging him to a fight in the street in front of the Defendant's home when he was confronted with the allegations.
As a result of the convictions, Miller ordered Willits to undergo a Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) assessment to be conducted by the Pennsylvania Sexual Offender Assessment Board (SOAB) and scheduled sentencing for June. Willits faces a maximum penalty of up to 120 years in prison or total supervision. The Commonwealth's post-trial motion to revoke Willits' bail was denied, and Willits remains free on bail previously posted and subject to GPS monitoring.
