Ex-Village People `Cop' Gets Probation
Sep 5, 2:55 PM EST


Victor Willis, the original policeman in '70s disco band The Village People, was sentenced to three years' probation Tuesday on drug possession charges after he agreed to enter a treatment program.

Willis, 54, was arrested in South San Francisco in March after police stopped his car and found cocaine and drug paraphernalia. He pleaded no contest in July after failing to appear at several court hearings.

Defense lawyer Mark Geragos said he and Willis were satisfied with the probation sentence.

Alice Wolf, the singer's publicist, said last week that Willis plans to enter a 90-day treatment program at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage.

He will then move to a residential treatment program for six months or longer, Wolf said.

Willis co-wrote hits such as "YMCA" and "In the Navy." He left The Village People in 1980.