A Pennsylvania man is facing fines after trying to save a deer by warming it up in his garage.
The young buck had fallen through a frozen lake near Gifford Pinchot State Park in York County last weekend and emergency responders had pulled it out of the water when John Stoll Jr. arrived, according to the York Daily Record.
The animal was cold and shivering after spending hours stuck in the frigid water.
Stoll offered to take the deer. "Nobody said I couldn't take it," he told the Record.
Stoll took the deer to his nearby home and tried to get the animal warm in his garage. He posted video on social media showing the deer lying in his garage with a blanket over it and a man petting it.
The deer seemed to be recovering, Stoll thought -- then it died Sunday morning.
“We were so devastated that he didn’t make it,” Stoll said.
And more bad news was on the way.
Stoll was informed Monday by a Game Commission warden that he would face a fine for keeping the animal in his garage, the newspaper reported.
Stoll said he was told he should have left the deer where it was until the Game Commission could assess its condition and whether to euthanize it.
He could face more than $800 in fines.
Stoll, a hunter, told the newspaper, "I just wanted to do something good for a deer."
He said he’s going to fight the fines and pay for court costs through an online fundraiser.
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