THOMASTON — The new Walmart in Thomaston was evacuated Friday afternoon following a phone call that ended with the caller saying there was a bomb in the store.

Thomaston Police Chief Kevin Haj said that employees at Walmart received the phone call at approximately 2:21 p.m. Nov. 15.

“The caller was rude, possibly a former customer and basically prior to hanging up the phone, the caller, possibly a female, said ‘...there’s a bomb in your store,’” said Haj around 3:30 p.m.

Following an investigation and search of the building, Haj said he turned the store back over to management around 5 p.m.

“We had a K9 go through the store and nothing was found,” said Haj. “We were able to check the call-back phone number and it turns out the person in Florida that had that number gave it up seven or eight years ago so might not ever be able to trace it.”

Haj said that at this juncture, the only motive he has to go on is the anger of the caller.

“I don’t know the motive of the other bomb threats in Maine, and I don’t know the motive for the call here in town other than an angry Thomaston WalMart customer,” said Haj.

Two other Walmarts in Maine were evacuated this afternoon, a result of bomb threats.

The Somerset County Communications Center said at 3:30 p.m. Friday that the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a bomb threat at a Super Walmart in Palmyra. Additionally, a Walmart store in Calais was evacuated.

Somerset County Chief Deputy Dale Lancaster said Friday evening that the Palmyra store would be reopening sometime tonight following the bomb search and investigation that lasted almost three hours. The bomb threat there had been called in at 2:10 p.m. As in Thomaston, police called in a bomb sniffing dog, this one from Penobscot County.

Lancaster declined to comment on the investigation in Palmyra and whether it was a male or female who called in the threat. He did say, however, “we believe it is part of a countrywide event that is targeting Walmart.”

Threats have apparently been made in stores in other parts of the country over the past few months, he said.

According to news reports, Walmarts in Missouri were targeted in July, and in September in Utah.

Thomaston Police Chief Haj said Walmart officials at the Thomaston store took appropriate action and evacuated everyone inside the building in an orderly fashion, as well as taking a count of its staff.

Thomaston police, fire and EMS remain on scene, along with a Maine State Trooper and Knox County Sheriff’s deputies.

“We have cleared all the people out and secured the building and we are now waiting for a dog to come in,” said Haj. “This building is so big, there is not enough of us to adequately search it and go through all the boxes we would need to go through.”

Penobscot Bay Pilot will post more details as they become available.

• Thomaston Police Department

The Thomaston Walmart has its own Facebook page.

Editorial Director Lynda Clancy can be reached at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com or 706-6657. Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards can be reached at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com or 706-6655.