‘Suspicious device’ found during midcoast traffic stop

Police found what they described as a “suspicious device” resembling an explosive during a traffic stop in Newcastle early Monday morning.

Shortly after midnight, Lincoln County Sheriff’s deputies stopped a vehicle on Main Street for a traffic violation, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said in a news release.

The man, who has not been identified because the investigation is ongoing, was arrested on an outstanding warrant and brought to Lincoln County Jail, Moss said.

Deputies searched the vehicle and found “material that appeared to resemble an explosive device.” The Maine State Police Bomb Team and state fire marshal’s office were called to the scene, and the device was secured and taken for further evaluation including laboratory analysis, Moss said.