Man Admits to Raping Elderly Clinton Township Woman

The 31-year-old man accused of raping an elderly woman in 2011 during an armed robbery at her Clinton Township apartment has admitted to three felony charges in Macomb County Circuit Court.

William P. Harrison, of Sterling Heights, pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to first-degree home invasion, first-degree criminal sexual assault and armed robbery, according to court records.

Harrison was scheduled to go on trial Feb. 20 in circuit court, but entered into a Cobbs agreement Feb. 19. This is a practice in Michigan criminal courts that allows a judge to make an agreement with a defendant regarding the sentence if the defendant pleads guilty or no contest to the charges. 

Harrison is expected to face 20 to 48 years in prison as a result of this guilty plea. He is scheduled for sentencing April 1, according to court records.

He faced up to life imprisonment upon conviction of the charges.

Police say Harrison entered the 80-year-old victim's Heritage Estates apartment the evening of Sept. 13, 2011 through an unlocked patio door. Placing a towel over the victim's head, he forced her to open a safe and later sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene with jewelry and a laptop, police say.

Harrison is currently being held in Macomb County Jail on a bond exceeding $1 million, according to the Macomb County Sheriff's Office.  

Court records show Harrison was on probation for a number of other crimes at the time of his 2011 arrest.