STREET, Md. — The expansive Palmer State Park with its 555 acres of dense forest set the stage for the Special Response Team of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office to handle a really special response to a young deer in distress.
“We realized that this thing had fallen about 11 or 12 feet to the bottom of a well, and it was down there just kind of running around didn’t appear to be injured,” said Sr. Deputy Thomas Wehrle, “and we debated for a few minutes how we were going to tackle the situation and then we just decided we were going to get some rappel gear and try to get down to it and get it out of there.”
Before team members could begin their rescue mission, they had to deal with another surprise—-this time of the venomous variety.
“One of the guys looked down and realized quickly that he was standing next to a venomous snake,” Wehrle recalled, “So there was a copperhead there and luckily he was able to get a stick and move it so we could focus back on the rescue effort for the deer.”
Fortunately, the team came fully equipped for a training exercise.
In a matter of minutes, Wehrle lowered himself into the well and calmed the fawn while holding it in his arms as team members lifted them to safety.
An unexpected real-life exercise that found a place in the Special Response Team’s mission.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that the primary responsibility of the SWAT team is to save lives,” said Wehrle.
Human or otherwise.
