AUGUSTA, Maine — Police investigated an alleged "terrorizing complaint" found in a note Thursday at the Walmart in Augusta.
The Walmart Supercenter located at 201 Civic Center Drive was evacuated Thursday afternoon after a "threat was communicated through a message left at the store," Augusta police said in a news release.
Police said a state police bomb squad and bomb-sniffing dogs responded to the location to investigate. Several officers with the Augusta Police Department were also on scene investigating.
Augusta police Lt. Anthony Drouin told NEWS CENTER Maine they received a call around 2:20 p.m. from an employee at Walmart about the note that was found, which raised concerns about a bomb threat.
Drouin said it was not clear at this stage of the investigation whether an employee or customer found the note.
Police responded to the scene and evacuated the area. Drouin said they are following standard procedures for an incident of this nature.
Several entrances to the store were blocked off, but there were no road closures. Police encouraged people to avoid the area Thursday afternoon if possible.
After the bomb-sniffing dogs completed a sweep of the area and the store was cleared, police said in a 4:45 p.m. update that it could be reopened to the public.
"The store is temporarily closed and will re-open only once Walmart staff feels it is appropriate to do so," the release stated.
Police said they will continue to investigate the incident.
Anyone who may have information related to this incident can report it to Augusta police by calling 207-626-2370 ext. 3418