SABATTUS — Police reported finding a bullet lodged in the box spring of a young girl’s bedroom that appeared to have been fired from outside the home.

Sabattus police say a stray bullet — shown in the red circle — went into a local home. The bullet was found lodged in the box spring of a young girl’s bed. Photo submitted by the Sabattus Police Department

Police were summoned Wednesday to a home whose owner had noticed a bullet hole in an exterior wall of the girl’s bedroom

“More specifically and even more alarming, the room where the bullet entered the residence was that of the homeowner’s granddaughter,” according to a media statement issued by the Sabattus Police Department.

“The hole in the wall is in direct line with where the young child plays,” the statement continued.

A warden from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, who assisted with the investigation, determined the bullet may have been fired from “quite a distance away,” according to the police statement. The slug was submitted for ballistics testing.

“The Sabattus Police Department acknowledges the need of animal harvest as well as time spent in the tranquility of the Maine woods, especially during this pandemic and the restrictions everyone is currently subjected to,” police said.

“We respect our hunters and firearms enthusiasts who both promote and practice safe hunting and use of firearms in our Great State,” police said. “As such, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind the public the importance to always acquire and identify your target, to review the hunting regulations and laws that govern firearms safety, and to continue practicing the safe handling of firearms so that everyone can enjoy the Maine outdoors and the activities associated with hunting and firearms ownership.”

Police are asking that anyone with any information about the identity and whereabouts of the person or people who shot the gun to please call the Sabattus Police Department at 207-375-6952. Any tips can also be made anonymously.