The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department received an unusual call on Tuesday when they were asked for assistance with an unexploded WWII-era British artillery shell.
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At around 1:45 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department responded to a Harpswell residence for reports of unexploded military ordnance.
Deputies secured the area upon arrival and contacted the Maine State Police Bomb Squad and the Harpswell Fire Department for assistance.
The Maine Air National Guard’s 101st Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team joined the Bomb Squad in responding to the scene and identified the ordnance as a WWII-era British artillery shell.
The Bomb Squad transported the shell to a safe location and carried out a “controlled counter charge,” which allowed them to determine that the shell had no explosive material in it.
They urged the public not to touch or examine unexploded ordnance, but to instead immediately contact law enforcement.
Strangely, after the State Police issued their release, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department issued a separate release, claiming that authorities were not able to determine whether there were trace amounts of explosives left in the shell.
They reported that the shell was taken to a safe location and destroyed.
