Cincinnati man convicted, sentenced for home invasion in Warren County
Darius Deandre Willis, 37, of Cincinnati was sentenced Friday, July 28 by Warren County Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy Tepe to 13 to 15 years in prison.
On July 11, a Warren County jury convicted Willis of five counts of aggravated robbery, each a felony of the first degree; five counts of robbery, each a felony of the second degree; and two counts of aggravated burglary, each a felony of the first degree, with all counts including a mandatory three-year firearm specification.
On June 12, 2022, Willis and two accomplices entered a Mason home, all three wearing masks and brandishing firearms. The gunmen held the three adults and two children at gunpoint while demanding money. One of the children, an 8-year-old boy, attempted to run from the home and was threatened with a firearm. The gunmen took more than $900 in cash and other personal property and fled in a Buick Enclave.
Warren County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Bradley Gantz responded immediately and intercepted the vehicle as it fled south on I-75. A high-speed pursuit ended at the intersection of Chester Road and Sharon Road in Glendale, where the three gunmen fled on foot. Sharonville Police Officer Zachary Jones pursued Willis on foot through the neighborhood, while officers from multiple other police agencies converged on the scene.
Willis was located hiding under the deck of a home on Chester Road. He had $932 in cash on his person. The victims’ other property as well as a mask with Willis’ DNA was located in the abandoned vehicle. Officer Jones observed that Willis was reaching repeatedly in his waistband area and believed that he had discarded a firearm during the foot pursuit. A 9mm handgun was recovered along the pursuit route.
Willis’ unknown accomplices were not located. Anyone with information regarding their identity and involvement are encouraged to contact Detective Brandon Abshear of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.
Warren County Prosecutor David P. Fornshell commended Deputy Brad Gantz, Detective Brandon Abshear, and Deputy Brian Hambrick of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office; Sharonville Police Officer Zachary Jones; Logan Schepeler of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation Crime Lab; multiple other officers from Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Sharonville Police Department,
Glendale Police Department, Springdale Police Department and Evendale Police Department; and Assistant Prosecutor Travis Vieux, Victim Witness Coordinator Melissa Kennard, and Legal Assistant Sidney Logsdon, for their work on the case.