The Ellsworth Goodwill was evacuated on Tuesday morning after a grenade was found among donated items.
Staff at the thrift store reported the find at about 8:37 a.m. and were advised by an emergency dispatcher to evacuate the building.
An investigator from the state fire marshal’s office who is also a tech with the Maine State Police explosives disposal team inspected the device and determined that it was in fact the shell of a hand grenade but the explosive core had been removed making it inert, according to the Ellsworth Police Department.
No other similar devices were found at the store.
Tuesday’s incident wasn’t the first time a grenade has turned up at a Goodwill in Maine.
In February 2025, a box containing possible military grenades and mortars was dropped off at the Augusta Goodwill. In 2023, the Falmouth store was evacuated after a grenade was found, similarly, among the donations.
