Pooch watcher charged after home incident
By Norman Miller / News Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
FRAMINGHAM -- It has been more than a month since Linda King came home to her Appleyard Lane residence to find a man drunk, passed out on her couch without her permission to be there.
King said yesterday she is still upset about finding Donnell Nicholson in her house, but was happy the woman she trusted with her house key, Susan Brockert, has been criminally charged.
A clerk magistrate found probable cause yesterday in a hearing to charge Brockert of Holliston with breaking and entering, theft from a building and destruction of property. She will be arraigned in Framingham District Court on Dec. 28.
"I'm thrilled," said King. "Of course it (her anger) is still directed at (Nicholson), but this was a woman who hugged and kissed me."
Brockert said she wished the whole thing did not happen.
"I couldn't be any sorrier -- I've never been more remorseful about anything I've ever done," said Brockert, a dog walker and sitter. "It was a very bad decision. I really screwed up. I didn't do the right thing. I didn't make the right choice, and I'm paying for it dearly."
Despite her feelings, Brockert said she does not agree about being charged.
"It's very blown out of proportion," said Brockert. "I'm sorry about the whole ordeal, but I don't understand what the whole case is about. I didn't do any breaking and entering -- I had a key."
On Oct. 10, King came come after a couple of days in New Hampshire to find Nicholson of Boston sleeping on her couch with liquor bottles and used condoms strewn around her house.
She immediately called police, and Nicholson was arrested and charged with breaking and entering, larceny of property worth less than $250 and malicious destruction of property.
Nicholson told police Brockert had given him the key, and she later admitted to doing that.
During the hearing yesterday, which was not open to the press, police told the magistrate that Nicholson paid Brockert to use the house for a party -- and maybe other houses, King said.
"My house was covered with drugs," said King. "She admitted she was in this house with him. He was there for two days."
During Nicholson's arraignment in October, prosecutor Lucas Talarico said large amounts of liquor and beer were consumed in the house, as well as food. He also said marijuana residue was found on a counter, and cigarettes and used condoms were found on the floor.
Brockert said letting Nicholson in a client's house was a one-time occurrence. She said she was friends with Nicholson's uncle. She also said the damage is exaggerated.
"His uncle had asked me if his nephew could sleep there," said Brockert. "It was just a one-time thing. He just slept there -- he didn't take anything from the house, nothing was damaged. He did drink some of the booze, but he didn't take anything from the house. There are no drugs there. Someone wanted a place to hang out, to sleep over. I knew nothing was touched, but I shouldn't have done it."
King said her life has changed since the incident.
"I'm still not sleeping well," said King. "I've got new locks. I have ADT (a security company). I've hired a professional dog-sitting company. She was doing this for a living. I want people to know what she did."
