ToquiNotes: Promise of No Arrest in B&E Case from 2013 Proves True, but Identified Suspect Likely Dead
By Jeff Toquinto on March 15, 2025 from ToquiNotes
In my years of dealing with Bridgeport Police Chiefs, going back to Jack Clayton and to today with Mark Rogers, I have always found them candid. In fact, they also return my calls, which is my benchmark for cooperation in my profession.
That said, it was back on Jan. 19, 2013, when then Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker addressed Council about a pending investigation. Not unheard of, but it is rare for the chief to talk business during a public meeting on matters involving an ongoing investigation.
What was even more rare, for Walker to essentially tell everyone they had a suspect, knew where the suspect was generally located, had a truly clear picture of the suspect proving they were pretty much guilty and then the real rarity. Walker said the chances of apprehending 
him in a felony breaking and entering case were at about zero.
him in a felony breaking and entering case were at about zero.
Seems like a strange prediction. But here we are 12-plus years later and no arrest was made in a case involving a felon. The former chief was correct.
There is a reason for it. For one of the few times ever, the suspect involved was not human. Turns out the suspect was not extraterrestrial either.
The suspect was a deer. Actually, it was an eight-point buck and considering the rack on this thing was impressive, the police could also have said the deer was armed and dangerous.
In a little bit of a light-hearted blog this week, it was brought up because, for some reason, in my daily “Facebook Memories” sent out by the social media giant, a person tagged me on the original story that someone had shared about a year ago and wanted to know if they ever caught the suspect.
Let’s just say my exchange was an exercise in futility, even with the post being shown being our second (we make two posts on almost 100 percent of our stories) that actually included the picture of the deer shown here. The disconnect was so bad that I broke my own protocol, and I had to talk to the person on the phone and explain almost word by word what happened and what they were looking at.
To this day, I am not sure they ever got it. And when it popped up again, I saved the story link and deleted the Facebook post because some of the comments following my initial offering of help were less than flattering.
That said, here is a little recap of what happened early on Jan. 2 of 2013. It was at 2:30 a.m. when the deer decided to jump through the bedroom window of an Easy Street resident. The deer did tremendous damage to the home before Bridgeport Police were called to the scene and able to coax it out.
The deer would get out but would not be put into custody. Still, Walker and the staff were certain they could finger the suspect. Considering there were, and likely still are, hundreds of deer in that area, how would they know what deer was the guilty party?
Even though Walker talked about the photo, how was he so sure? To me, even most bucks look alike.
The picture, taken on a trail camera as part of the city’s urban deer hunt on an approved deer hunt parcel, was the reason for Walker’s 
confidence. The deer gives a crystal-clear look to the camera. And attached to its antlers is the cord that pulls curtains up and down in homes.
confidence. The deer gives a crystal-clear look to the camera. And attached to its antlers is the cord that pulls curtains up and down in homes.
While the blog is, as noted above, light-hearted, the situation had a very real possibility of being serious. A member of Council noted that the deer came through the homeowner’s bedroom window where they were sleeping and, thanks to the bedroom door being open, left that way.
Bodily image was avoided. Damage to the home was not.
The buck proceeded to kick the doors in on the bedroom closet after breaking into the home before leaving the bedroom. It then went into the living room, tore down the Christmas tree, knocked over the couch and headed into the kitchen. Once there, it destroyed the hardwood floors.
The officers that arrived at the time in 2013 were Sgt. Mike Lemley and Sgt. Robert Goodrich. Lemley headed to the back door and Goodrich to the front. Eventually, the pair got the deer out the front door and it proceeded to go down Easy Street.
Police aren’t sure what caused the deer to jump through the window, but it’s not entirely unusual although it doesn’t happen on a regular basis.
While the deer roamed freely with curtain cord attached, the suspect is no longer a threat. Based on life expectancies of bucks in West Virginia, it died many years ago.
What it did was reinforce the need for the Bridgeport Urban Deer Hunt. It has helped rid hundreds of deer from within the city limits even though many residents will tell you deer are still a problem.
Maybe, however, it is working. There have been no more breaking and entering events by deer within the city limits.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows the deer in question who caused the problems in a trail camera photo. Bottom photo is of Mike Lemley, who has since retired from the force.
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