Police arrest accused rapist

A man suspected in a string of local robberies was arrested last month for the December 7 rape of a University student in her off-campus home. Robert Lee Woodard, also known as Robert Lee Woodward, was arrested on December 24th and subsequently arraigned. He is being held on $25,000 bail, University Police said last week. A female undergraduate was raped and another indecently assaulted when Woodard forced his way into their house, in the 4500 block of Spruce Street, police said. According to police, Woodard broke into the students' house to rob it and found the women inside. He then indecently assaulted one and raped the other. University police would not say if the victims were injured. According to University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich, Woodard is suspected of robbing nine other Philadelphia residences. The University Police Department and Philadelphia West Detectives set up a task force to investigate the 10 residential robberies, most between 40th and 45th streets, which followed a common pattern. The police said Woodard's fingerprints have been found at the scenes of two robberies in the 16th district as well as at the site of the 45th and Spruce incident. The mode of operations in the other seven cases is very similar, Kuprevich said, making Woodard a prime suspect. According to Kuprevich, in all 10 cases, the criminal knocked on the doors of various residences and requested to speak with one of the residents, identifying him or her by name. The criminal would return minutes after being rebuffed as a complete stranger, forcing his way in with a weapon. If the residence was unoccupied, he would burglarize the house unimpeded. Woodard was charged with rape, indecent assault, residential robbery, burglary and several other counts. He was also charged with use of threatening instruments -- the knife and the gun police say he used while committing the crimes. Charges in the two 16th District crimes included aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threat, robbery and burglary. Woodard has used several aliases in the past, among them William Wilson, John Carter and John Smith. Police are unsure whether his real last name is Woodard or Woodward. A preliminary hearing on Woodard's case will be held on January 16 in Room 275 of City Hall.

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