Colby College evacuated and locked down two buildings on Monday morning after an email claimed that a bomb had been planted in one of the college’s libraries.
[RELATED: 24-Year-Old Man Arrested After Credible Bomb Threats Against UNE and Bomb Materials Found…]
The college issued an emergency alert Monday morning after receiving the email.
The email did not specify which college library had the alleged bomb, and in response, the school evacuated both the Miller and Bixler buildings and canceled all classes that were scheduled to be held there.
Staff with offices in those buildings were sent to work from home for the day.
The college notified state and local police.
By 10:00 a.m., the Waterville Police Department had completed an initial sweep of the Miller Library and found no evidence of suspicious devices.
Shortly after that, the school issued a second update stating that the Waterville Police had also tentatively cleared the Bixler Library.
The buildings remained closed after the Waterville Police completed their investigation, while they waited for K-9 units to sweep the libraries.
At around 12:45 p.m., the school announced that police concluded their search, and that the buildings could be reopened for normal operations.
The Waterville Police Department issued their own statement affirming that they do not believe the threat to have been credible.
The Maine State Police has initiated an investigation into the identity of the person who emailed the threat.
According to anonymous posts obtained by The Maine Wire, some people at the college appear to be claiming that the threat was inspired by the Colby Young Republicans speaking out after their posters were vandalized.
The story of the vandalization reached national attention with help from accounts like LibsofTikTok and Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
Despite the anonymous posts, there appears to be no legitimate evidence that the bomb threat was inspired by the media attention of the vandalized posters.
The threat against Colby College does, however, appear to be accompanied by an uptick in explosive-related criminal activity across the state.
Earlier this month, law enforcement arrested Blake Tibbetts, 24, of Cornish, after he allegedly made credible bomb threats against the University of New England campus in Biddeford.
A subsequent search of his residence allegedly revealed what police described as “bomb-making materials.”
In another recent incident, the Maine State Fire Marshal’s Office executed a high-risk search warrant in Pittston on Wednesday after police allegedly discovered multiple improvised explosive devices during a routine traffic stop of Nicholas Presby, 43, of Augusta.
