"Unfortunately we have the one missed shot that went through all our safety features," explains Adam Eldridge.
It was the last thing he every thought would happen when he was teaching his daughter how to shoot a bow in his yard in Potterville.
He had taken precautions: a target, plywood in front of his fence, and then the fence itself, but somehow one of the practice arrows found its way through and into the neighbors yard, almost hitting their daughter.
That's why the city of Potterville, and many other municipalities across mid-Michigan, including Charlotte and St. Johns, have an ordinance that prevents people from shooting bows within city limits.
"In the city there's 360 degrees around you," points out Potterville police chief Steve Bartlett, "there's other people's homes, cars, pets, property, neighbors, their kids, and in a city there's just no safe direction to shoot.
Chief Bartlett says arrows being shot in city limits isn't a huge problem, but it's something to be aware of no matter where you are.
"What we really hope to avoid is something that is a big deal where we find an arrow in somebody's dog or cat or one of their kids comes in with an arrow in them," Bartlett tells News 10.
Which is why Eldridge is changing his behavior, and hopes others can learn from his mistakes:
"It's a learning experience not only for me but also my daughter and hopefully others that this isn't the safest place for not only sighting a bow but to have your target practice."
