DAMARISCOTTA — Game Warden K9 Koda and Game Warden Jake Voter located a missing Damariscotta girl, 11, who didn’t want to go to school April 10, and was reportedly hiding 20 feet up in a tree.

According to a news release from the Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife:

“The young girl, who had become upset with her mother about having to go to school this morning, left the house at about 8:15 this morning. The mom thought her daughter had headed out to the car, but when the mom went out to the car, the girl was gone. Friends and family members searched for her unsuccessfully, then called the Damariscotta Police department a little after 9 a.m. The police department and a K9 unit from Lincoln County Sheriff’s office were unable to find her, and called for more assistance.

“The Maine Warden Service started searching the area at approximately 11:25, along with a Maine State Police pilot in the area who searched from the air with a plane, and a drone from Lincoln County Sherriff’s Office.

“At approximately 12:25, Game Warden Voter and K9 Koda set off on right side of the house to search the woods. Approximately 200’ from Voter’s truck, K9 Koda started circling around a pine tree, and wouldn’t leave the tree. Voter didn’t see anything at first, but upon circling the tree, he noticed the young girl on the backside of the tree, about 20 feet from the ground.

“The young girl asked what was the name of Voter’s dog, and after he told her, he asked if she needed help, but she was already climbing down to see Koda. When she got down from the tree, she threw Koda’s ball for her, and then Warden Voter, Koda and the young girl walked out of the woods and the girl was reunited with her family.”