Creepy Clowns Reported in Georgia

LAGRANGE, GA — A recent rash of creepy clown sightings has spread into Georgia. And if it's all some kind of joke, authorities in LaGrange, about 70 miles southwest of Atlanta, aren't laughing.

On Monday, LaGrange Police said on their Facebook page that they'd received "several calls" about clowns in a van, in wooded areas, trying to talk to children.

"This behavior is not cute or funny," police said in the post. "Understand that if officers see this behavior, you're going to have a conversation with them. And, if applicable, you may face criminal charges."

The sightings come on the heels of a spate of similarly bizarre reports involving clowns in North and South Carolina.

Recently, there have been a rash of reports of clown sightings centered around Winston-Salem, N.C. and Greenville, S.C.

In several of the cases, the clown or clowns were reported to be in wooded areas and trying to lure or otherwise interact with children.

One woman claimed she saw a clown holding a machete and another man claimed he chased a clown into the woods.

But, by late last week, at least some of those tales were beginning to unravel.

A Winston-Salem man was arrested Friday for filing a false police report. He was the one who claimed to have chased a clown into the woods.

At least one other report in Winston-Salem has been deemed fake. Police there said video surveillance in an area where clowns were reported to be talking to children showed no such activity.

There has been speculation that the clown sightings are a viral marketing effort for a recently released horror movie, but the company behind that film has denied any involvement.

File photo by Graeme Maclean - originally posted to Flickr - via Creative Commons