Warren County judge sentences man convicted of 5 counts of aggravated robbery

WARREN COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX) - A Cincinnati man was sentenced to at least 13 years in prison on Friday by Warren County Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy Tepe.

Darius Willis, 37, was convicted by a jury on five counts of aggravated robbery, five counts of robbery and two counts of aggravated burglary.

Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell says Willis and two accomplices were wearing masks when they entered a Mason home with firearms on June 12. The men held three adults and two children at gunpoint while demanding money, Fornshell said.

Fornshell says one of the children, who was 8 years old, tried to run but one of the men threatened the child with a gun.

Willis and the two men took over $900 in cash and other personal property and fled the scene in a Buick Enclave, the prosecutor added.

Fornshell says the three men then led law enforcement in a lengthy chase down Interstate 75 South.

Dashcam footage shows Willis, who was believed to be driving the getaway car, crossing lanes of traffic trying to get away from deputies and police.

The chase eventually ended at the intersection of Chester and Sharon roads in Glendale, and the men began to run away on foot, the prosecutor said.

Multiple agencies began searching for the three suspects in the Glendale neighborhood.

Willis was eventually found hiding underneath the deck of a home on Chester Road.

Police found $932 in cash and the victims’ belongings on Willis, in addition to a mask with his DNA on it, a 9mm handgun, and the abandoned vehicle, the prosecutor said.

The other two men have yet to be located, according to Fornshell.

Anyone with information regarding their identity or whereabouts should contact Det. Brandon Abshear with the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

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