BUXTON, Maine — Police responded to the Buxton Hannaford Thursday morning for a report of a suspicious item in the parking lot. It was later deemed to be an empty pressure cooker.
Officers responded to the store shortly after 6 a.m. and located a pressure cooker sitting on one of the islands in the parking lot in front of the store, Buxton police said in a press release.
Officers immediately evacuated the area, including the Hannaford and surrounding businesses in the plaza, the release stated. An employee at a Dunkin' that shares a parking lot with the Hannaford said police told Dunkin' employees to lock the doors due to a bomb threat.
The Maine State Police Bomb Squad sent a bomb technician to the scene, who did a scan of the pressure cooker and determined that it was empty. It was deemed safe and free of any explosives, police said.
"It appears that the pressure cooker was accidentally left in the parking lot by a customer," the release said.
Employees of the Hannaford and surrounding businesses returned to work shortly before 8:15 a.m. The Hannaford store has resumed normal operations.
Buxton police said the investigation is ongoing and there is no threat to the public in relation to the incident.