Girl, 6, helps save deer from well

An insistent 6-year-old girl who spotted a buck falling into a 6-foot-deep window well at her first-grade teacher's home is being credited with helping to save the deer's life.

On Wednesday afternoon, Abby Smith told teacher Linda Aho that the deer had fallen into a hole at Aho's St. Clair County home, which is located adjacent to Lighthouse Christian Academy's playground.

Aho said she thought Abby was kidding, but the girl _ who lives in nearby Burtchville Township _ kept insisting and burst into tears when the students lined up to go inside and nobody had checked out her claim.

"I didn't believe her until she started to cry," Aho told the Times Herald of Port Huron.

The school sent staff members to Aho's house, where they found the 80- to 100-pound buck.

John Borkovich, an officer with the state Department of Natural Resources, and Jason Schultz, who drives a wrecker for Preferred Towing, soon arrived to help. Borkovich wrapped the deer in a blanket and rigged a harness.

Schultz used the wrecker to hoist the buck out of the hole.

The deer was disoriented, and Borkovich guided him into a nearby patch of trees. Mike DeLong, director of Lighthouse Christian Academy, said staff planned to show students pictures of the deer and let them know it was rescued.

Aho estimated the deer was trapped for more than two hours at the home near Port Huron, about 55 miles northeast of Detroit.

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Information from: Times Herald, http://www.thetimesherald.com