Emergency crews called to investigate a possible explosion at a business Wednesday
arrived only to discover they were dealing with a disaster created by a four-legged
creature.
The evidence: a trail of bloody hoofprints.
In the end, a Montgomery County sheriff’s deputy had to shoot a charging eight-point
buck, authorities said.
A worker next door to Trans Ionic Corp. on Timberloch Place called authorities shortly
after 8 a.m. to report what sounded like an explosion, officials said.
A deputy who responded to the call reported that a window was broken and the office
area significantly damaged.
The county fire marshal and agents with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives were called as a precaution. The Woodlands Fire Department, its hazardous
material team and Conroe’s hazmat team also arrived.
Fire marshal investigator Darren Hess said the scene had the initial appearance of
a break-in, and as he and ATF officials checked for secondary explosive devices, they
saw spatters of blood on the floor.
Once investigators determined there was no explosive device, sheriff’s Sgt. Dwayne
Finley and the firefighters went inside to look around.
“It was crazy,” said Woodlands Deputy Fire Chief Wayne Walker. “We didn’t know what
was going on.”
Walker said he told another firefighter he bet a deer was to blame and that he had
noticed hoofprints in the flower beds in front of the building. When they went inside,
they saw bloody tracks on the carpet.
“The deer had gone in every one of the offices and was tearing everything up,” he
said. “Chairs were knocked over and papers were everywhere.”
As fire officials searched the building, Finley continued to check the offices in
the back. When he entered the last office, the deer jumped up from behind a desk and
tried to attack the deputy with his antlers, sheriff’s officials said.
“The deer went berserk and tried to go through the window and charged at the sheriff’s
deputy,” Walker said.
Finley shot the deer before the animal could harm him.
Source: Houston
Chronicle