CLEARFIELD – A DuBois man charged with entering a house without permission was sentenced to state prison in Clearfield County Court.
Eric S. Nelson, 36, 8½ N. Church St., DuBois, pleaded guilty before Judge Paul E. Cherry to a felony count of criminal trespass. He was sentenced to six months to two years in state prison. He was fined $1 plus costs. He must submit to DNA testing at a cost of $250.
The charges stem from an incident in Sandy Township on Oct. 20.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, police were called to a Pacific Avenue residence to investigate a report of a stranger in a woman’s house.
The victim said a man showed up at her house wearing no shoes. She said the man was acting strangely and his head was bleeding. She said the man asked her for a ride back to his house on Church Street before he walked into her house.
She was scared but remained calm enough to get out of the home with her child and mother-in-law. She told police she did not know if he was armed.
As she was driving away, the man tried to open the back door of her vehicle to get inside. She said she locked all the doors of the vehicle and drove away, leaving him in her front yard.
Police searched the area but could not find a man matching the description given by the victim. The officers then went into the victim’s house where they discovered a man, later identified as Nelson, hiding behind the front door.
Nelson appeared to be under the influence of drugs. He had a small cut to his forehead and smaller cuts about his hands. He was unable to provide a reason why he was inside the residence.