Serious or just a sick joke? What we know about creepy clown reportsAshley May, USA TODAY
Reports of clowns haunting more than ten states have people on edge. And, the reports keep coming.
Recently, a Philadelphia school district reported that police were investigating threats made by creepy clowns on social media. Likewise, the Spring Independent School District in Texas issued a security statement overnight due to new clown threat hoaxes made online.
Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio, closed on Friday because a woman reported being attacked by a male dressed as a clown. Another woman, who reported being attacked by a clown early Saturday, was later arrested after police confirmed that she lied about being attacked by a knife-wielding person dressed as a clown.
The phenomenon has even managed to get the attention of the White House, where Press Secretary Josh Earnest was asked about the recent rash of creepy clown arrests on Tuesday.
“I don't know that the president has been briefed on this particular situation,” Earnest said. “Obviously, this is a situation that local law enforcement authorities take quite seriously and they should carefully and thoroughly review, you know, perceived threats to the safety of the community and they should do so prudently.”
So, is the creepy clown epidemic serious or just a sick joke? Police are investigating a host of reports from South Carolina to Georgia, and have made some arrests.
Here's what we know:
WisconsinOn Aug. 1, reports of Gags – The Green Bay Clown disturbed Wisconsin residents. Later, the man who set up a Facebook account which fueled conversation about Gags sightings came forward, saying it is all part of an independent horror film coming out around Halloween.
South CarolinaReports of clowns terrorizing people in South Carolina started in mid-August. One woman reported seeing a middle-aged white man in clown-like facial makeup and red hair standing outside the laundromat. The woman told police the clown stared at her as she walked out, but didn't speak or follow her.
In another report, children reported clowns were trying to lure them into woods with money. Residents of the Fleetwood Manor Apartments in Greenville, S.C., reportedly received letters from property management encouraging them to abide by the apartment’s 10 p.m. curfew, and not to let their children walk alone at night.
"Obviously, this is the type of claim that we need to take serious whether it's valid or not," said Master Deputy Ryan Flood with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies have not received any recent reports or arrested anyone.
North CarolinaSept. 4, children reported a clown was trying to lure them into the woods in a Winston-Salem neighborhood. According to two kids, the man had on white overalls, white gloves, red shoes with red bushy hair, a white face, and a red nose. They told police he offered them treats if they would come into the woods. Police said an adult heard the man, but did not see him.
A few days later, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous call that a clown was outside of an elementary school, but it turned out that report was false.
GeorgiaLaGrange Police in Georgia said it had received several calls about clowns “in wooded areas trying to talk to children."
At one point, a middle school was under a “soft lock down” because of creepy clown reports, Deb Myers with the Troup County School System told LaGrange Daily News.
Georgia police arrested two people Sept. 14 for calling 911 and allegedly making false claims about clowns trying to lure children into a van. Officials didn't find any clowns.
Sept. 20, a Facebook page was created (it has since been taken down) fueling fears in Georgia. The page said clowns would be driving to local elementary, middle and high schools to abduct children. LaGrange police department obtained warrants and arrested four people they believe are responsible for the threats.
AlabamaA 10-year-old found responsible for making "clown threats" to Montgomery Public Schools in Alabama was arrested Sept. 21. Earlier that week, police arrested two high school students behind a since-deleted Facebook account named ClappyAndslappy DaClown, which released a 5-minute video threatening violence against Troy residents.
Additionally, police are looking for the person(s) responsible for a Facebook page, which has since been deleted, under the name Bingerman Clownferd. The social site threatened to visit Montgomery schools and beat students.
Mississippi A clown call made Sept. 21 in Tchula, Miss., turned out to be true. Police Chief Kenneth Hampton said he saw someone wearing a mask, a multi-colored wig and overalls around 11 p.m. on Wednesday. The person, who was carrying what looked like a machete, ran away after seeing the patrol vehicle. The person in the clown outfit has not been seen since.
MarylandThe Salisbury Police Department of Maryland recently investigated two reports of clown sightings. Callers said they saw three people dressed as clowns hiding in bushes and jumping out to scare people on Sept. 25. All three were reported to be wearing clown masks with orange and blue hair. Officers weren't able to locate any clowns.
VirginiaThe Augusta County Sheriff's Office has received numerous calls regarding clown sightings in Fort Defiance, Va. One report said several people were dressed as clowns in a woodland area. According to Virginia Code Section 18.2-422, a person over the age of 16 is prohibited from wearing a mask, hood or other device to cover or conceal the identity of the wearer. A violation of this code section is a Class 6 felony, which is punishable by one to five years of incarceration and a fine of not more than $2,500, according to a release. Either or both may apply if convicted of this offense, Sheriff Donald Smith said.
Florida The Indian River County Sheriff's Office has received multiple reports of "creepy clown" sightings.
Sept. 28, a woman walking her dog said she saw a person wearing an all-white clown costume emerge from behind a tree in Indian River County, Fla. The person had red hair and was wearing a mask, she said. The following day, a father called police saying his child and other classmates were chased by a person wearing a clown mask after they got off the bus in the Vero Lake Estates area. Later that night, a child reported seeing a clown. None of the clowns were armed and there were no injuries.
A woman reported seeing two clowns last weekend near Victoria Park, Fla. She said the clowns were staring at her. It's unclear if they were trying to scare or harm her, but police issued an alert to surrounding agencies and searched the wooded areas and railroad tracks near U.S. 1. The clowns were not located.
“The problem is that someone dressed like a clown could scare someone and there’s a possibility, a possibility you could end up with someone getting shot,” said Lt. Mike Bandish of the Palm Bay Police Department. “A person could think that they’re about to get robbed."
PennsylvaniaThe most horrific clown report came from a Reading, Pa., neighborhood where a 16-year-old wearing a clown mask pushed up onto his head was fatally stabbed, according to AP. Previous reports were unclear about who was wearing the mask.
This week, students at York College in southern Pennsylvania reported seeing people dressed as clowns, both on campus and off. Campus safety responded to eight different reports since Sept. 24. One anonymous tip reported on Sept. 26 that there was a car full of clowns possibly armed with weapons. Officials didn't find any clowns.
In Pottsville, police were investigating after clowns were seen yelling at children. A girl told a TV station that a clown had chased her and her friends and later threw a broken stick at them from the woods.
On Oct. 2, Philadelphia school district officials and police announced they were investigating creepy clown threats made against local schools on social media.
“The safety of our children and the communities surrounding our schools is a top priority for us and we are taking this matter seriously,” officials said in a statement released over the weekend.
OhioColerain Police Department in Cincinnati, Ohio, arrested a juvenile Sept. 29 in connection with clown threats to harm students at Colerain High School.
Reading schools are closed Friday after a woman reported being attacked by a male dressed as a clown. The woman told police that the attacker made a threat against students. No arrests have been made in the attack and schools were closed out of concern for of students that walk to school early, according to the Reading Community City School District.
Around 2 a.m. Sept. 27, a woman called police in Lancaster, Ohio, saying she saw someone dressed as a clown holding a large kitchen knife. Police talked with witnesses at the scene who said they saw two people dressed as clowns: one in a gold suit with balloon and another in all black. Officers checked, but were unable to locate the clowns.
Tennessee Two suspects, one wearing a clown mask, carried explosives into a Memphis bank Sept. 28. The pair stole an unknown amount of money and fled in a black sedan. Memphis police are searching for them.
Two south Nashville Metro Schools went under a soft lockdown following a social media threat reportedly involving a clown, according to information from school officials and a Metro-Nashville dispatcher. Authorities said the threats weren't credible.
MissouriA Facebook post threatening to kidnap students and kill teachers caused several mid-Missouri schools to go on lockdown Sept. 30, ABC 17 News KMIZ reports.
A week earlier, some reported seeing clowns, one near a high school, in the Ozarks, KSPR ABC 33 reports.
ColoradoFort Collins Police Services and Poudre School District were notified Sept. 28 of a threatening Facebook message. The message, which threatened students at Poudre High School, came from a now deleted page using a clown profile picture. The Fort Collins police are investigating.
OregonSept. 30, a woman in Portland said a man wearing a silver clown mask, black clothing and black gloves started banging on her driver-side window at an intersection, OregonLive reports. Sgt. Pete Simpson, spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau, told OregonLive he didn’t know of the incident.
Sept. 28 a woman reported seeing a man in Central Oregon wearing a clown mask with blue-painted teeth. Police were unable to locate the clown.
Texas In Texas, multiple schools have received creepy clown threats.
On Oct. 2, the Spring Independent School District issued a security statement due to new clown threat hoaxes made online.
Spring Independent School District in Texas said in a Facebook post that investigators confirmed the threats were a hoax, but the extra security measures were being taken on school campuses.
"We ask parents and students to confirm facts and be cautious of what they share via social media, although we do appreciate students and parents alerting our Spring ISD Police Department to potential threats," the district said in a post.
DelawareDelaware State Police and University of Delaware Police have received reports of clown sightings, according to officials with the departments.
New JerseyIn Brook, N.J., a high school student told police a "creepy clown" stepped out of the bushes as the student walked to class on Monday morning. According to police, the man resembled a character from Scream.
On Sept. 30, a man who lives in Spotswood, told police a person dressed as a creepy clown peered into his windows around 1:00 a.m.
Police checked the area but were unable to locate the clown, according to Spotswood Police Capt. Phil Corbisiero, a 24-year veteran of the department.
He said police increased patrols in the area, where there are many families with children.
"We're going to take it seriously," said Corbisiero, adding that the clown sighting happened just weeks before Mischief Night and Halloween.
New YorkA 13-year-old has been identified and charged by police after making a threat against Poughkeepsie Middle School as “Kluster thee Klown.” According to a statement from police, the teen created a Facebook page and made the threat “to prank classmates from his old school” Oct. 4.
Also, police arrested a man in upstate New York for falsely reporting a clown in Vitale Park in Lakeville, N.Y. Christopher Hooper posted a doctored photo of a clown in the park, advising parents to keep their children away from the area and asking people to share the post.
Hooper's post was was shared almost 200 times before it was deleted, according to police.
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Gordon Rago of the York Daily Record, Liz Holland of The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times, Elizabeth LaFleur of The Greenville (S.C.) News, Laura Peters of The (Staunton, Va.) Daily News Leader, J.D. Gallop of Florida Today, Harold Gater of The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, Brett Milam and Cheryl Vari of The Cincinnati Enquirer, KHOU-TV in Houston, Trista Thurston of the Lancaster (Ohio) Eagle-Gazette, Jon Hand of the Democrat & Chronicle, Brittany Horn and Alexandra Hough of The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal, and Gregory Korte contributed to this report.
Copyright Gannett 2016
