UW-Eau Claire Police respond to concerns regarding animals near campus and an individual appearing unconscious on Water Street.

Oh deer! 

In the early afternoon of Tuesday, Nov. 2, an officer was dispatched to McPhee Recreation Center in response to a call about an injured deer. 

The caller met the officer near the last sighting of deer in the parking lot. They were working at the Chippewa Valley Technical College Automotive Shop garage bay, when he noticed a large, male deer with antlers laying next to a wall of McPhee Center on the west side of the building.

The deer was believed to have been injured, because it appeared to walk with a limp. After about 90 minutes, the caller contacted campus police. 

By the time the officer had arrived, the individual who originally spotted the deer claimed it walked through the parking lot, and was no longer visible. 

The officer that responded to the scene conducted a foot patrol of the surrounding area in order to locate the injured animal. After speaking with individuals in the surrounding area, the officer was informed that the deer had jumped the fence along the Putnam Park hillside.

A vehicle patrol was conducted near Garfield Avenue and Putnam Drive. A group of runners told the officer they had seen a large deer running through the park. 

The individuals that witnessed the deer when it jumped over the fence, and the runners in the park both reported that the deer appeared uninjured at the time. 

The officer was unable to locate an injured animal and the area was cleared. 

Chow Chows on the loose

At 10 p.m. on Nov. 2, a campus police officer responded to a vehicle parked suspiciously near the State Street Tunnel. Upon arrival, the officer observed the driver of the vehicle shining a flashlight into the wooded area. 

The officer spoke with the individual who stated their dogs had gotten loose earlier in the day and he was attempting to find them. The individual was walking his two dogs near South Farwell Street  at 5 a.m. when they both broke free from their leashes. 

The two dogs, one white and one black Chow Chow had not been reported earlier during the day, and the officer informed the owner he would keep an eye out for both dogs. 

There is no further information on this report. 

Resting on Water St. 

Police were notified of an individual possibly intoxicated and unconscious near the Water St. lot at 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 5. 

The complainant, a campus security officer involved with the SafeRide Program, had noticed the individual laying down in the grass on the intersection of Second Ave and Water St.. 

The CSO stated she believed the individual was intoxicated and had possibly passed out on the lawn. She offered the individual a ride back to his residence, but the individual verbally declined.

Upon arrival, the officer noted that there was no individual in the area matching the description. The officer was able to get in contact with the complainant where she informed the officer that a vehicle had stopped in front of the subject, and they proceeded to leave in the vehicle. 

The officer was able to clear the scene with no unusual activity reported. 

Shanahan can be reached at [email protected]