Local police seeing an increase of clown calls

File photo

LOGAN — The fear of clowns has hit the area as local law enforcement report an increase of calls particularly coming from school aged children and teenagers. Officers and deputies are taking the incidents seriously even though none of them have been substantiated.

Logan City Police Capt. Curtis Hooley said a 13-year-old individual at Mt. Logan Middle School made a threat against students through a social media post on Tuesday. The school’s resource officer tracked the threat to the student who was questioned and referred to juvenile court on two-counts of electronic communications harassment.

Threats have also targeted Logan High School.

Hooley said officers are continuing to perform regular, random checks of schools both inside and out. School resource officers are also working with administrators in dealing with the issues this has caused with the students and faculty.

Cache County Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Peterson said deputies have also been called to investigate similar reports but none of them have been confirmed.

The New York Times reports, the nationwide fear of clowns started in August, when several children living in Greenville, South Carolina, reportedly saw clowns near an apartment complex. The children said that the clowns were offering them money to follow them into a grove of trees.

Hooley said the fear of clowns is not new but with social media, the stories are going viral.

Utah State University Police Capt. Steve Milne said his officers have also had three calls of clown sightings on campus. Two of those involve a video that students have been sharing, showing someone dressed in a clown costume, walking around the university. Officers have followed up on the calls and found no evidence of any threats.

Milne said he hopes people would keep in mind that these type of calls drain law enforcement’s resources as they investigate. They can also lead to criminal charges.

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