A young man called the Walmart store in Newport, Maine, asking if they sold assault rifles, stating, "I need it for school tomorrow." Upon transfer to the sporting goods department (!), he hung up before transfer was complete. No caller ID was determined.
As a result, area schools and police were put on alert.
From an article:
Newport and Pittsfield schools were placed on alert Friday after a young male called a local Walmart on Thursday, asked if the store sold assault rifles and reportedly said, “I need it for school tomorrow,” according to Newport police.
Newport police Chief Leonard Macdaid said security at Walmart in Palmyra called him on Thursday afternoon to report the call made to the store.
“He asked if they had assault rifles there,” Macdaid said on Friday morning. “When the lady told him, ‘I’m not sure, I’ll transfer you to sporting goods,’ the young male said, ‘I need it for school tomorrow.’”
Macdaid said the young male hung up before the transfer was complete and no caller ID was available.
“We have no idea where the call came from,” said Macdaid. “We’re erring on the side of caution and have put out a statewide police bulletin.”
Maine State Police and Pittsfield police were also made aware of the indirect threat, said Macdaid.
The woman at Walmart said the young male who called “wasn’t irate or threatening. He was talking calmly,” said Macdaid.
All eight of RSU 19’s schools began operating their “shelter in place” procedures, Superintendent Greg Potter said Friday. The schools are controlling access to buildings and are restricting outdoor activities. The procedures may continue into next week, he said.Walmart. Save money. Die faster.
