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Maine woman accused of making threats that shut down a Walmart in NH

The threats were a hoax, and Walmart reopened to the public. Meghan Leavitt, 38, of Alfred, was charged with making false threats, police said.

NEW HAMPSHIRE, USA — A 38-year-old Maine woman is accused of making threats that prompted the closure of a Walmart in Seabrook, New Hampshire Saturday morning.

Following an investigation, Meghan Leavitt, of Alfred, was arrested without incident at a Best Western in Seabrook and charged with making false threats, Lt. Timothy Mone with the Seabrook Police Department said in a news release. 

The incident unfolded after Seabrook police officers received a report around 11 a.m. about a possible explosive device at the Walmart store located at 700 Lafayette Rd., Mone said in the release.

As officers arrived to check for the explosive, another call came into the police department about an armed man inside the store, Mone added. 

Police said they immediately took measures to ensure the public was safe and began searching for the man with a fireman. The New Hampshire State Police Bomb Squad was called to search the building for explosive devices. 

No one was found carrying a gun inside the store, and no explosives were discovered, police said.

Police said the threats were a hoax, and the Walmart was reopened to the public around 1 p.m. Saturday.

Leavitt is now at the Rockingham County House of Corrections in Brentwood, New Hampshire pending arraignment in the Rockingham County Superior Court on Monday at 11 a.m. She's facing multiple charges.

According to Mone, police do not believe the threats made Saturday are connected to similar calls that have been made across New England in recent months.

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