A donation made to a Goodwill store in Maine led to its evacuation when several hand grenades were discovered hidden in a donation box.
According to The New York Post, a box left outside a Goodwill store in Augusta had some military-grade hand grenades inside. The explosives, which were not active when discovered, were seemingly donated and discovered when employees arrived at the store on Tuesday, Feb. 11. When the dangerous items were found, Maine police officers were summoned to the scene. When the Maine State Police Bomb Squad arrived, the store was evacuated and closed.
Right before 1 p.m., the Facebook account of Goodwill Northern New England informed customers about the temporary closing.
“Our Augusta, ME store is temporarily closed. A hand grenade was donated, and we have evacuated the building as we wait for the bomb squad to assess the situation.
“Please do not donate weaponry. Even if you know it is antique and safe, our store employees do not, and we need to take the necessary precautions we have today. You can find a list of acceptable donations on our website at https://goodwillnne.org/donate/acceptable-donations/.
“We will update this page and GoodwillNNE.org/Locations when the store is safe and open again. Thank you for your understanding!”
“Unfortunately, this is oddly common,” Morgan Sewall, a spokesperson for Goodwill Northern New England, said in a written statement. “Many New Englanders collect antique weapons in their homes. We ask that people do not donate weaponry. Even if they know it is antique and safe, our store employees do not, and we need to take the precautions we have today.”
Police added that they don’t believe there was ill intent from the person who donated to Goodwill.
After the bomb squad gave the clearance, Goodwill Northern New England reassured customers that all was OK and the store reopened.
“Our Augusta, ME store has been given the all-clear and is open again. Thank you for your patience and understanding!”
RELATED CONTENT: DOJ To Finally Review 1921 Bombing Of Tulsa Under Emmett Till Civil Rights Act
