WATERVILLE — A lone robber got away with cash late Thursday after threatening employees with a knife at the off-track betting parlor on College Avenue, according to police Chief Joseph Massey.

Two employees were counting the day’s receipts around 10 p.m. when they were robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash, Massey said Friday. The robber has not been caught.

Massey said the robbery was reported to police about 10:20 p.m.

“One of the employees said they had just been robbed by a male who was threatening them with a knife,” he said. “So, obviously, we had officers immediately dispatched to that facility and we had help from neighboring police departments. We saturated the area.”

The off-track betting parlor is in the basement of the former John Martin’s Manor.

Massey said the two employees heard a door open and close while they were counting money.

“After a few minutes, one of the employees saw a lone man approach with a dark hooded jacket, with a knife in his hand, a black-and-white bandana covering his face and the hood on the jacket pulled down. The only thing they could really see were the eyes,” Massey said.

The employees described the man as about 6 feet tall, slender or slim, and wearing gloves, Massey said.

“The robbery took less than a minute. He just demanded the money, which they already had out and counted. They gave him the money and he took off on foot.”

When police arrived, they surrounded the building and scoured streets and wooded areas around it, Massey said. A state police dog was also used in the search, he said.

No one was hurt in the robbery, he said.

Massey would not reveal the amount of money taken, or whether it was a significant amount. He asked anyone with information about the robbery to call police at 680-4700.

“We have very little to go on at this point,” Massey said. “We got a vague description. There were no other witnesses inside at the time other than the two employees. (The robber) was able to leave before we got up there, so this is one of those cases that is going to take a significant effort to try to come up with some leads.”

Police did speak to a man and woman who were out walking around the time of the robbery and they said they had seen a man run to a white sport utility vehicle, which then drove away, Massey said.

The case will require a lot of work by detectives, whose investigation will include seeking information about anyone with an unusual amount of money, Massey said.

Detective David Caron is the primary investigator in the case, Massey said. Sgt. Bill Bonney was the on-duty supervisor Thursday night and Detective-Sgt. Michael Benecke and Caron came in to work on the case.

Employees at the off-track betting parlor on Friday declined to comment on the robbery, referring questions to their company office, Sportech, Inc., in New Haven, Conn. A message left with the public relations office there was not returned by late Friday afternoon.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com