A Barberton-registered sex offender with a history of sexually harassing female real estate agents in Northeast Ohio may target real estate agents again, according to social media and a warning from the Summit County Prosecutor's Office. That's what it means.
Robert Willett, 67, was reportedly attending a recent open house in Sagamore Hills when he asked a real estate agent how long he had been there. According to a recent Facebook post, the real estate agent called a friend, who called the police, and Willett left after hearing the real estate agent say the police were coming.
Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Korkovich said Wednesday that his office was aware of a Facebook post regarding recent news reports about Willett.
“Mr. Willett has previously targeted female real estate workers, and recent reports indicate that Mr. Willett is once again targeting women working in the real estate industry,” Korkovic said in a prepared statement to the Beacon Journal. told. “We are investigating these reports. In the meantime, we strongly urge anyone working in the real estate industry to be especially careful when arranging meetings for home viewings. Masu.”
Robert Willett's history of targeting female real estate agents
Willett was arrested on January 18, 2010 on charges of attempted kidnapping and possession of criminal tools for attempting to lure a real estate agent into his home, the Beacon Journal previously reported. The real estate agent worked with local authorities on a sting operation that resulted in Willett's arrest after receiving pornographic images on his cell phone on January 3. Ten days later, Willett called him to set up a visit to a home for sale, and he was eventually arrested. when he arrived at the property.
When Willett was arrested, he was found with nylon flex cuffs, scissors, a knife, a box cutter and a Norton Fire Department badge, police said. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
In 2013, Willett was arrested for attacking a Stark County real estate agent, hugging a bear, and provoking a fight between the agents. She was able to flee and drive away, and her identity was later determined through DNA extracted from a soda bottle Willett left in the real estate agent's car, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office said.
When Mr. Willett was released in June 2016 for a series of crimes involving local real estate agents, including being charged with felony sexual imposition in an October 2006 incident, the Summit County Prosecutor's Office Alert real estate agent. The Beacon Journal reported on the incident as follows: The woman, a real estate agent, said Willett met her at her home and allegedly hugged her and grabbed her buttocks before leaving.
Willett is known to use at least two pseudonyms, Bill Parks and Tim Ramsey, when setting up meetings with various real estate agents, according to the 2016 alert. At open houses, Willett illegally signed guest books and was usually the last guest to stay until the end and the last to leave. After being released in June 2016, he was placed on probation for three years and was not allowed to have any contact with real estate agents or agents.
“Use extreme caution when scheduling appointments with unknown clients or open house showings,” it warns.
How can real estate agents protect themselves?
Mike Valerino, CEO of the Akron-Cleveland Association of Realtors, said his company sent out a warning about Willett to local real estate agents in April and will send out another warning soon. He pointed out that real estate agents can do a number of things to protect themselves from outsiders when it comes to open houses.
“Some of the things we encourage real estate agents to do is always follow the customer into the room. We don't want the customer to go into the room first,” Valerino said. “While many real estate agents use social media to promote open houses, we want them to be careful about what they post and only post what is necessary. ”
Valerino said real estate agents should warn other agents when holding an open house, tell clients that the property is being monitored by surveillance cameras, and ensure that potential clients are not exposed to public access. He pointed out that meeting for the first time at a venue or office is encouraged.
“We offer self-defense classes to our agents, but we hope they never have to use these skills to protect themselves,” Ballerino said. “We listen to our members, take their concerns seriously and do everything we can to warn our members, including Willett, of potential dangers.”
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com or on Twitter @athompsonABJ.
