No Kids to Be Charged for Made-Up Reports of Creepy Clowns (Update)

UPDATED at 9 p.m. ANNAPOLIS, MD — Reports of creepy clown sightings in Annapolis were made up by children, Annapolis Police said Tuesday, but none of the youths will face charges for filing a false police report. The wave of menacing clown reports first took hold in Georgia and the Carolinas, say authorities, who believe they may have been spurred by news and social media attention.

Annapolis Police said Tuesday that several children who reported seeing people dressed in clown costumes and wearing face paint have now admitted they made up the reports. The children on Monday had reported incidents that occurred dating back to Thursday, Sept. 15, in several Annapolis neighborhoods of a person, or people, in the clown costume.

Some of the children who originally reported encountering the clown on the way to school were interviewed a second time by police and admitted they made up the story. There were rumors circulating Annapolis about people dressed like clowns trying to lure children into wooded areas, but no reports have been made to the police.

Authorities said this is a good time to talk to children about spreading rumors, urban legends, and the importance of telling the truth. When reports like this are made, police must err on the side of caution until the report can be confirmed or disproved, which takes officers away from other crimes they are investigating and other people who need help.

The clown encounters were reported in the 700 block of Newtowne Drive, Bens Drive near Victor Parkway, and the 1400 block of Tyler Avenue. Police say the most recent sighting reportedly occurred around 8:30 a.m. Monday on Bens Drive.

Be they real, imagined or a combination of the two, the wave of creepy clowns began in the Carolinas. A couple of weeks ago, a rash of reports was centered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina. In several of the cases, a clown or clowns were reported to be in wooded areas and trying to lure or otherwise interact with children. In one case, a woman claimed she saw a clown holding a machete.

Last week, some of those tales had begun to unravel. A Winston-Salem man was arrested Friday for filing a false police report after he claimed to have chased a clown into the woods. Video surveillance in an area of a reported clown gathering failed to show any such thing. But just as some of the stories started falling apart in the Carolinas, they began blossoming in Georgia, where similar reports were filed in at least four cities.

One of the most compelling reports came out of Macon, where authorities said a group dressed up as clowns was reported to have been menacing children at a school bus stop. The clowns, who appeared to be older kids or adults, came out of hiding in some bushes and abandoned houses near the bus stop, according to a statement by the Bibb County Sheriff's Office.

Some speculation has even pointed toward Hollywood, where stories of terrifying clowns are nothing new.

The company distributing "31," an upcoming film by Rob Zombie in which victims "participate in a violent game, the goal of which is to survive twelve hours against a gang of sadistic clowns," has denied any involvement with the clown reports.

Despite the apparently false reports, the Annapolis Police Department reminds residents of safety tips provided by the National Crime Prevention Council:

What Parents Can Do:

• Know where your children are at all times: Make it a rule that your children must ask permission or check in with you before going anywhere.
• Point out safe places. Show your children safe places to play, safe roads and paths to take, and safe places to go if there’s trouble.
• Teach children to trust their instincts. Explain that if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable, they should get away as fast as they can and tell an adult.
• Teach your children to be assertive. Make sure they know that it’s OK to say no to an adult and to run.
• Encourage your children to play with others. There’s safety in numbers!

What Children Can Do:

• Don’t talk to strangers.
• Don’t take anything from strangers.
• Don’t go anywhere with someone you don’t know.
• Use the buddy system, avoid walking anywhere alone.
• When seeking help, always go to a trusted adult – teacher, coach, police officer, other parent or older siblings.
• If a stranger grabs you, do everything you can to stop him or her from pulling you away. Drop to the ground, kick, hit, bite and scream. Do whatever it takes to attract the attention of others who can help you. If someone is dragging you away, scream, “this is not my dad,” or “this is not my mom.”
• Report any suspicious activity to your local school and police department.

»Photo via Pixabay