Hutto Man Arrested After False Clown Intruders Claim

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TEXAS — Williamson County law enforcement officials arrested a man after falsely claiming a group of men wearing clown masks broke into his home, prompting him to fire several rounds, according to reports on Thursday.

Dustin Ronette Wicks, 28, was charged with deadly conduct after firing his weapon in the direction of surrounding homes in his Hutto neighborhood, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The charge is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The incident dates to Sept. 28, when police responded to the 100 block of Carrington Street just after 4 a.m. Details on the shooting only recently came to light via a newly released arrest affidavit.

The homeowner called 911 to report her son, later identified as Wicks, said the man told her a group of people broke into the house. But the woman told police her son might be drunk with intent on ambushing them as they arrived, according to the report.

Ordered to exit the home with his hands up, the Statesman reported, Wicks was arrested without incident. He told police he allowed five men inside the home thinking they might be police, but added they were wearing clown masks, according to the report. An argument ensued, Wicks told police, prompting him to discharge his weapon, the affidavit detailed.

Later examination of video footage from a doorbell camera showed no such incident, only images of Wick entering and exiting the front door, according to the report. Six bullet homes were found inside the house. Two of those showed bullet trajectories toward other homes from the front and back doors, police found.

As of Wednesday, records show, Wicks was being held at the Williamson County Jail with bail set at $20,000.

The alleged mask sightings come at a time when the clown community is working hard to repair its image after a debacle by impostors two years ago. The clowning profession came under attack two years ago when people across a wide swath of the U.S. dressed as clowns menacingly with the aim of scaring passersby. The incidents in October 2016 damaged the image of the clowning industry at a time when a growing number of people were already leery of the performers given negative representations in media.

Related stories:

Creepy Clown Sightings Hurting Real Clowns' Business In Texas And Elsewhere

Ahead of Halloween, Austin Schools Besieged With Menacing Clown Threats

Pflugerville Police Monitoring 'Creepy Clown' Threats Made To Schools

Clowns are still trying to repair their image following that still-unexplained string of fake-clown sightings, and the Hutto incident is not likely to help that image makeover. Hutto is just under nine miles east of Round Rock and 22.5 miles east of Cedar Park.

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Dustin Wicks booking photo via Williamson County Jail records