Deer Breaks Into Bel Air Home, Rummages Through Closet

BEL AIR, MD — This week deputies in Harford County actually helped a burglar make a swift getaway.

The suspect — a large doe — was inside a Bel Air residence when authorities arrived. She had made herself at home; officials said the large doe had jumped through a glass window, then settled herself inside a closet.

"I guess she saw something in the closet she wanted to borrow!" the Harford County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook, with photos from the scene.

Several people responded to the post with their own hypotheses for the possible motives of the doe burglar:

• "Maybe she needed a bag and matching shoes to go with her new winter coat."
• "She thought it was a 'walk-in' closet, so she walked in."
• " If they were hunters, the [doe] was probably doing a B and E to steal firearms."
• "Someone had treats hidden in the closet and she came in to get them."
• "She thought she saw another deer."

According to the University of Maryland Extension, deer do actually sometimes jump through windows upon seeing their reflections, and homeowners can deter them by closing blinds or curtains; experts say the danger of window jumping should pass after the November and December mating season.

Regardless of the deer's motive, authorities in Bel Air assisted to help the doe make a clean getaway.

With help from deputies and animal control officers, "she fled into the forest with just a few scratches," authorities reported.

Photos of deer in Bel Air courtesy of the Harford County Sheriff's Office

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