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Oh, deer, what ruin an intruder does

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER
Published December 16, 2006

Martha Reavley checks on her Christmas decorations Friday as seen through the broken window where a deer crashed into her Pasco home.
	[Times photos: Lance Aram Rothstein]

ADVERTISEMENT Missy seemed unscathed and proud when her owner returned home.

TRINITY - Joanne Ricchetti headed to her curbside mailbox Friday morning and noticed something odd across the street.

The front window of Martha Reavley's Heritage Lakes home, tinted with a pink reflective film, was broken.

Ricchetti tried calling her 75-year-old neighbor, but there was no answer. She came back outside and flagged down another neighbor, Bob Buckey, who was just returning from the gym.

"She said the window was broken, and she hadn't heard from Martha," Buckey said. "I looked through the window, and I see this animal bouncing around the windows. All I see is ears and a head. I looked at Joanne, and I said, 'That's a deer.' "

* * *

The deer, about 3 feet tall, had burst through the 60-inch picture window in Reavley's computer room, leaving a bloody trail as he tried to find a way out.

Buckey knew exactly what to do.

"I was a little apprehensive," Buckey said, "but I said, 'I'm going in.' "

Inside, he found a knocked over sewing table. A tabletop Christmas tree had fallen to the floor. Blood smeared the windows, walls and floor of Reavley's well-kept home.

Buckey let Ricchetti in through the front door. She searched for Reavley, unsure if she was okay.

Meanwhile, Buckey searched for another exit.

He watched the confused animal bash its body against Reavley's windows and trample blood through her den.

Buckey, a retired U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, found the home's only other exit, which led to the back yard.

He opened the door, and the deer ran out.

"I'm glad I was able to stop the destruction," Buckey said.

* * *

Reavley returned from volunteering at a hospice about noon. Her dog, a feisty Schnauzer named Missy, was running around the yard.

"I saw Missy in the yard, and I thought, 'What is she doing outside?' " said Reavley, a retired high school teacher.

Then the neighbors explained.

Buckey told her: "Don't get scared, but you had a deer jump through your front window."

Reavley was speechless.

She called the Pasco County Sheriff's Office. Because no crime was committed, deputies decided not to come out.

So Ricchetti fetched a piece of plywood and propped it in front of the broken window.

Reavley wondered if the deer came from the woods near her house. She has seen deer in her neighborhood before.

She walked through her house Friday, surveying the damage. She stared at the carpet, which was just cleaned last month. She called her insurance company and homeowners association to see who would handle repairs.

"It must have tried to get out of every window," she said. "I'm still in shock. I'm thinking about all the work I'll have to do."

Camille C. Spencer can be reached at 727 869-6229 or cspencer@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 16, 2006, 06:36:25]