Clown hoaxes force police to check pranks for real threats

A Salina Police spokesman has issued a statement in reference to recent “creepy clown” sightings within the city of Salina.

But a threat made Tuesday on social media against a Portage Park school was deemed a fraud.

Fontana Unified School District police helped city authorities track the teen down, they said.

The creepy clown threats sweeping social media are not at all amusing for one El Paso entertainer who makes his living as ZZ the Clown.

What these clowns are doing are more than just terrifying people, they’re upsetting the clown community.

Establishing itself on Monday, another Twitter account, “Clowns Of Mass”, had reported a clown wearing a white T-shirt with a red wig and blood near Kimball Road Tuesday night, as well as clown sightings on Powow Street, Woodwell Circle, Haverhill Road, Ash Street and Whitehall Road.

Superintendent of Schools Nancy Sarra sent out an official call to parents Thursday indicating that the schools are safe and the threats are being taken seriously. Eric Hampton, Thomasville Police Department (TPD) public information officer, said.

Sinn said that was not her intention.

Claim: A “killer clown” left a note at an elementary school threatening that “kids will die” if Halloween is not cancelled.

In New Jersey on Wednesday, a 15-year-old was charged with posting a threat aimed at a school in Hamilton. Police told Dallas-Fort Worth television station KDFW that the student put herself on the list and told authorities she was only trying to stop any “real” clowns from attacking her school.

In response to clown-related threats, some St. Louis school districts are adding to their security presence. “We then began receiving reports that clowns were going to go to the schools and commit acts of violence”, Deputy Chief Jerad Goertzen said.

The New York Times state that false reports or threats in connection to sightings of “creepy clowns” have led to the arrest of 12 people in over 10 states.

Captain John Sherwin with the Rochester Police Department believes any sightings or Facebook posts are merely younger people, “grabbing on to this so called phenomenon”, or clown appearances. Police want parents to reassure their children that there are no clowns lurking in the shadows to snatch them up.