OXFORD — Police are investigating a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of the Oxford Walmart late Saturday night. 

According to Oxford police Lt. Michael Ward, approximately 50 shoppers and employees were evacuated from the building after the threat was called in near 11:30 p.m. The store, located on Route 26, is open from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Law enforcement searched the building using a bomb-sniffing dog for almost two hours without finding any explosives, Ward said. Oxford police are following several leads in an ongoing investigation into the threat. 

Under Maine’s criminal code, threats that result in the evacuation of a building are considered terrorizing, a Class C felony that carries a possible sentence of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. 

pmcguire@sunjournal.com