WABASHA, Minn. (KTTC) –
Workers evacuated the Medtronic manufacturing plant in Wabasha Thursday afternoon after an explosives threat was found about 12:25 p.m. in a plant bathroom.
“The note said the building was going to blow up,” said Wabasha Police Officer Randy Wagoner. “So somebody hit the fire alarm and everybody evacuated.”
Wagoner said the workers later went home after Medtronic decided to close the facility for the afternoon and evening shifts while officers checked the facility.
Police and sheriff’s deputies used the hospital across the street as a staging area, but when they went through the plant, nothing was found. As a precaution, a bomb-sniffing dog from Rochester was also deployed, but also did not find anything.
“We are aware of a threat at our facility in Wabasha and are cooperating with local authorities,” said Medtronic spokesman Fernando Vivanco. “The safety of employees is our top priority and we evacuated our facility earlier today. The local authorities conducted a full sweep and have concluded the facility is clear. We expect the location will resume operations tomorrow morning.”