PORTLAND, Maine — The Oxford County Regional Communication Center was evacuated for several hours Saturday while officials conducted a thorough search of the property after a bomb threat was called in there.
The call was received at the communications center at about 10:49 a.m., and the building and other facilities in the complex were evacuated, according to a news release sent Saturday evening by Oxford County Chief Deputy James Urquhart.
The Oxford County Sheriff's Office, Paris Police Department, and the Paris Fire Department responded to the scene, and the Maine State Police Bomb Team and Maine State Police dogs trained to search for bombs searched the area.
Other buildings in the complex that were also evacuated included the Oxford County courthouse, the district attorney's office, and the sheriff's office, the release stated, and the Oxford County Jail was placed on lockdown. Oxford County government departments are located in South Paris.
"Shortly after 4 p.m. today, the complex search was completed, and the area was deemed safe," Urquhart said in the release. "No devices or suspicious items were located."
ORCC, according to its website, is the public safety answering point that handles non-emergency and emergency 911 calls for Oxford County.
A temporary site was set up at the Paris Fire Department to ensure that service to the region would not be disrupted, the release stated.
Officials are investigating the incident and are working to trace calls through recordings.
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