On Tuesday, January 3, 2023, a professional robber from New Jersey was sentenced to up to 20 years in state prison for committing multiple robberies across Bucks County from May 2018 to May 2019. rice field.
Billy M. Woodard, 57, of Trenton, New Jersey, was convicted of one robbery and 14 robberies in a November waiver trial. In addition, he was convicted of three counts of attempted robbery, 11 counts of theft and receipt of stolen goods, 19 counts of loitering or loitering at night, one count of trespassing, possession of criminal paraphernalia and theft from a motor vehicle. .
Judge Raymond F. McHugh sentenced Woodard to 10 to 20 years in state prison, suspended for 20 years.
Investigations by detectives from the Lower Makefield Township Police Department, Upper Makefield Township Police Department, and Falls Township Police Department found that Woodard broke into several locations between July 2018 and May 2019. understood. Most of the robberies occurred in Lower Makefield.
Investigators determined that Woodard typically entered residents’ homes through an unlocked rear window or door between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. Once inside, he took purses and wallets he found in the kitchen, sometimes carrying laptops and tablet computers.
Woodard was arrested in Lower Makefield Township on May 30, 2019 with the assistance of the Mercer County, New Jersey Attorney’s Office, which was monitoring a known robbery suspect.Authorities there described Woodard as a professional robber
When detained, Woodard was carrying a flashlight and a pocket knife. Police found a black backpack in his car containing his laptop, his computer, the woman’s wallet, and the woman’s Pennsylvania driver’s license. These items were later found to belong to a woman who lived in her 1500 block on Stapler Drive.
As the investigation progressed, investigators used GPS information from Woodard’s phone to locate him at the scene of several robberies. Woodard was identified through surveillance cameras in people’s homes.
In one case, a resident went to investigate the noise in April 2019 and encountered a man later identified as Woodard in the living room. The man picked up a gold wedding ring and watch and told the victim, “I have a gun. Don’t follow me.”
Investigations revealed that Woodard had robbed 12 homes in Lower Makefield, one in Upper Makefield, and one in Falls Township. In addition, he attempted to burgle two of his homes in Lower Makefield and one of his homes in Upper Makefield.
The case was investigated by Lower Makefield Township Detectives John Campbell and Peter Lang, Upper Makefield Township Detectives Jeffrey Jumper, and Falls Township Detectives John Vera in cooperation with the Mercer County Attorney’s Office and Bucks County Detectives. it was done.
The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Edward Furman Jr. and Assistant District Attorney Julia Wilkins.
Media contact: Manuel Gamiz Jr., 215.348.6298, mgamiz@buckscounty.org