The Irving Circle K gas station at 445 Kennedy Memorial Drive on Monday in Waterville. Detective-Sgt. Lincoln Ryder says the patrol division responded to a report of a robbery at the gas station at 1:44 a.m. Monday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

WATERVILLE — Police are investigating a robbery that occurred early Monday at the Circle K Irving gas station and convenience store on Kennedy Memorial Drive.

Detective-Sgt. Lincoln Ryder said just before 10 a.m. Monday he could not answer questions or provide any more details about the reported robbery, as it is an active investigation. He wasn’t immediately sure if authorities would release more information later in the day.

Ryder responded earlier Monday in an email saying the patrol division responded to a report of a robbery at 1:44 a.m. Monday.

“Any time we investigate a crime of this nature there is concern for public safety until the suspect is apprehended; however, there is no known direct threat at this time,” Ryder said.

The Irving station, at 445 Kennedy Memorial Drive, is open 24 hours a day. It is located adjacent to McDonald’s restaurant and across the avenue from Marden’s Surplus & Salvage store, and is within sight of the exits for Interstate 95.

A woman who answered the phone at Circle K at 10:15 a.m. confirmed it was open for business Tuesday but said she had no comment on the robbery. She called Irving’s market manager who also had no comment, she said.

The robbery is the fourth robbery in the area in the last month or so. On Nov. 26, the Goodwill store on The Concourse in downtown Waterville was robbed and then on Dec. 6, the Camden National Bank at 150 Main St., which is within sight of the Goodwill, was also robbed. Less than two weeks later, on Dec. 19, the Camden National Bank branch at 51 Main St. in downtown Oakland was robbed.

In each case, the robber fled with an undisclosed amount of money and no one has been arrested in any of the robberies.