LOCK HAVEN - William Alfred Willits, III, 42, of Hillside Drive in Woodward Township was sentenced Tuesday Morning by Clinton County Court of Common Pleas President Judge Craig P. Miller to a total term of 34 years of incarceration in a State Correctional Institution, with initial parole eligibility after serving 17 years.  Willits was convicted by a jury of 8 men and 4 women following a 3 day trial in March of this year.  The jury found Willits guilty of 2 counts of Rape of a Mentally Disabled Person (F1); 2 counts of Aggravated Indecent Assault of a Mentally Disabled Person (F2); and 2 counts of Sexual Assault (F2) for incidents that occurred at Willits' home in Woodward Township in August of 2024.

Clinton County District Attorney Dave Strouse prosecuted the case and argued for the Court to impose the statutory maximum penalty to be imposed by the Court, a total term of 60 years.  At sentencing, Strouse argued that Willits had "committed egregious crimes, and had raped a young woman with the intellectual capacity of a young child on two separate occasions."  But Strouse added that what made it even worse was that Willits and his wife, Fay Willits, "then orchestrated a fabricated story to try to depict the victim as sexually aggressive, and claiming that the victim was not actually mentally disabled" despite years of documented educational and medical records showing that the victim functioned at an intellectual level between the ages of 5 and 10 years old.  Strouse also advised the Court that Fay Willits, who testified at trial, still faces criminal charges of her own for her alleged threats to kill the victim and her sister as a result of her husband being arrested.  Strouse asked the Court to impose the maximum sentence permitted by law saying, "This is a terrible case.  If I could ask for more time, I would."

The victim's sister and full-time caregiver also spoke at sentencing, describing her sister as having had serious issues in her day-to-day life as a result of the Defendant's actions.  She described her sister as living in fear of the Defendant and his wife, and struggling daily.  She also told the Court, "my sister is not like you and I.  She is a child.  She watches Bluey cartoons and plays with barbie dolls.  Her best friend is 7 years old.  This has turned her life upside down."

In his defense, William Willits presented letters of support from various members of his family, neighbors, and members of the Army National Guard, of which Willits had been a member for 11 years.  Willits told the Court that he had committed a "moral mistake" and that he had "cheated on his wife."  After some prompting from his defense attorney, Willits also said he never meant to cause the victim any harm.  

Ultimately, President Judge Miller imposed a 60-120 month sentence on both counts of Rape of a Mentally Disabled Person, and a 42-84 month sentence on both counts of Sexual Assault.  The Court determined that the Aggravated Indecent Assault offenses merged with the Rape offenses for sentencing purposes, to which the Commonwealth agreed.  Miller also informed Willits that he is a Tier III Sex Offender and therefore required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life pursuant to PA Megan's Law.  

As Willits exited the Courtroom, he was heard yelling to his wife and others in attendance "[t]his isn't over.  This isn't even close to over."

The case was charged by Officer Gregory Drollinger of the Woodward Township Police Department.

For the previous release issued after Willits was convicted at trial, see the link here: https://crimewatch.net/us/pa/clinton/da/133000/post/lock-haven-man-convi...