It's not something that happens every day: a deer running through town. But just before noon Dec. 1, that's exactly what happened in downtown Sebring.
Brianna Porrazzo saw a deer coming down the street in front of her Sebring home. It ran through the library parking lot and down an alley. The deer wound up in an alcove behind some of the buildings in the 100 block of West Ohio Avenue.
According to witnesses, a crowd gathered and the animal panicked.
"When I came out and was looking, I saw her bouncing from wall to wall and she was bleeding," said resident Beth Percy. "I didn't like it. It's the worst thing I've ever seen."
Porrazzo said the deer fell and looked like it was in pain.
"When she fell the second time, she didn't get back up," said Porrazzo. "She was still breathing and you could tell she was in so much pain."
Once the Ohio Department of Natural Resources arrived, they determined the deer should be euthanized due to the extent of its injuries. There was a rumor that people had beaten it with a board, but police said that's not the case.
About a dozen were interviewed regarding the incident, but police said all their stories were the same.
"At this point, all the information that I've seen and talked to ODNR and the statements that were taken, we have no evidence to believe that this animal was bludgeoned to death, as previously stated by some people," said Chief Ray Heverly Jr.
Jeff Herrick, district manager for the Ohio Division of Wildlife, said the crowd should have moved so the deer could escape on its own.
"They were curious," said Herrick. "They were wanting to see the deer, and had we arrived on scene right away, we would've been able to have the crowd removed and let the deer come out on its own. That would have been the best avenue of escape."
Herrick said deer tend to wander into towns during mating season, so folks should be aware. If an animal does end up in the community, he recommends leaving it alone and calling the authorities.
