St. Albans, VT– A quiet afternoon in St. Albans turned into a large police scene around noon Wednesday as the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant related to the theft of guns.

St. Albans City Police and Vermont State Police helped carry out the search at the Lower Welden Apartments around noon. No one was hurt.

Sheriff John Grismore says a number of people were detained and have since been released. One person was arrested on an unrelated charge.

Grismore says multiple people stole a handful of guns of an undisclosed type on October 16 in St. Albans Town. The firearms were reportedly given to someone living in the apartment in a “guns-for-drugs transaction.”

Grismore says the warrant was originally for one apartment, but the search shortly grew. Police could be heard over a loudspeaker to get people in custody. “We gained some intel which allowed us to expand our search to other units,” says Grismore.

The sheriff says there was never any danger to the public or to the community in the complex.

“We take gun thefts very seriously,” Grismore says. “So, we’re going to deploy all the folks and resources we have to continue this investigation.”

The scene was mostly packed up around 1:30 p.m., and police and ATF officials conducted a search of the unit afterwards.

A parent at the St. Albans City School confirmed students were sent into lockdown because of a “threat” about eight blocks away.

Grismore says the investigation is ongoing and arrests are expected in the coming days.