Reagan Wheeler

JOU3109C: Multimedia Writing

Module 5 Assignment: Write a News-Feature Story
June 15, 2019

Two deer smashed through Hunters Crossing storefronts

Customers at the Hunters Crossing Shopping Center on Friday had a more eventful

shopping day than anticipated when something strange came bursting through the window of

the store.

Howard Michaelson, owner of the Starbucks inside the shopping center, said he was

outside rearranging items for the sidewalk sale when something in the distance came running

toward him and the store.

Two deer Jumped through the storefronts of the Starbucks and the Hoogtowne Music

Store Friday around 1:30 p.m.

“I saw two does come running across the parking lot. Suddenly, they split up, and one of

them was headed straight for me,” said Michaelson.

The doe leaped into the Starbucks, smashing through the front door. There were six

customers in the store at the time.

The deer went to the back of the store jumping towards customers. After slipping, the

deer turned around and went back out the store, according to the police report.

No customers were hurt, and no merchandise was lost. The damage to the door will

cost the store an estimated $900.

After splitting up, the other doe ran three doors down to Hoggtowne Music.

Owner of Hoggtowne Music Deb Bordeaux said the deer came crashing through the

window of her store. The doe knocked over a display of musical instruments, ran into a
customer, and jumped behind the register. The doe was identified as a female, white-tailed

deer.

"Everything was chaos in here until my assistant yelled for someone to open the front

door,” Bordeaux said.

The doe left quickly after the door to the store was opened.

Bordeaux estimates the doe caused about $1,000 in damage, including the window that

needs replacing. The store will remain open for business.

White-tailed deer are the most populous big-game animal in North America. There are

around 700,00 just in the state of Florida, according to Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

professor Brad Woodleigh.

The deer likely came from the nearby woods at Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park,

according to Woodleigh.

Deer are usually shy around humans but can sometimes act strangely during mating

season. In North Central Florida, mating season typically runs from October to January,

sometimes lasting through February.

“Deer don't hurt people directly, but sometimes their lives come in conflict with ours,”

said Woodleigh.