Bear Crashes Through Leesburg Garage Door

Foraging bear got into garage twice in the past week, destroying door

Leesburg resident Dianne Howard is still shaken up after a bear ripped off her garage door while foraging for food -- and later returned to search for more.

It all started Monday night.

"All of a sudden I heard, bang," Howard said. "And I ran to the stairs; I'm like, 'Doug, get down here!'"

Her husband looked in the garage. "He said Holy, something and closed the door," she said. They leaned a chair against the door, while the bear continued clawing.

The bear had been attracted by the family's full refrigerator in the garage.

I called 911 right away. It woke up [my son] Cole; his bedroom was right up top" over the garage," Howard said.

Cole said he was "scared and excited" about the visiting bear.

By the time deputies showed up, it was gone.  But it returned Wednesday night, destroying what was left of the garage door. The family will have to remove the fridge since bears can smell right through the doors.

If it returns again, Howard plans to let out the family's dogs and turn on her car alarm to scare it away.

"The kids have a great story to tell at school," she said.

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