State Department of Transportation workers responsible for paving over a deer on Route 895 in Schuylkill County will be disciplined.

"I know what the decision will be, but it's not official," Larry Geiger, assistant district engineer for maintenance, said yesterday.

PennDOT workers are organized under the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

The department must follow a strict set of union guidelines before disciplinary action is taken.

Thus far, Geiger said, a predisciplinary conference has been held. He said the punishment will be announced next week.

Thirteen workers were on the crew that paved over the deer. Geiger said he didn't know how many would be disciplined.

The deer, apparently hit by a car or truck, died along Route 895 between Andreas and Snyders in West Penn Township.

The deer had been decomposing when the PennDOT District 5 crew repairing the road oiled and chipped over its head, neck and shoulders. The deer's body was not in the area designated for resurfacing and remained exposed.

Walter Bortree, engineer for District 5, has said crew members must have seen the animal. He said workers are supposed to remove animals before paving. He knew of no other instance in which an animal was oiled and chipped.

Bowmanstown Mayor Keith Billig discovered the deer carcass more than a month ago. Several weeks after spotting the animal, he noticed that it had been made a part of the highway with the paving job.

The animal was removed Aug. 22.