PORTLAND — Police on Monday were still investigating the nature of a suspicious device brought to police headquarters on Dec. 11 after it was found by a contractor, prompting the temporary closure of Middle and Franklin streets.
City spokeswoman Jessica Grondin said how the device ended up in a home where contractor Warren O’Shea was working may never be determined. O’Shea put the device in his van and drove it to the police station at 109 Middle St. around 3 p.m.
Police then closed Middle Street from India to Pearl streets and Franklin Street from Fore to Congress streets for three hours while deploying a Hazardous Devices Unit robot to remove the device.
Police Chief Michael Sauschuck said the device was “disrupted” by the robot with a bang and puff of smoke around 5:45 p.m. on the sidewalk near the corner of Franklin and Middle streets.
“The red flags were there,” Sauschuck said of the department’s response. He declined to describe the device as a bomb.
No one was injured in the incident, and the lower floors of businesses on Middle Street were evacuated.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.