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Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 29, 2016 21:54:01 GMT -5
Children Say Clowns are Trying to Lure Them into the Woods
GREENVILLE, S.C. — Residents of a Greenville County apartment complex say clowns have tried to lure their children into the woods with large amounts of money, and deputies have released the report Monday in connection to the claims.
WYFF News 4 first asked the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office on Friday about the complaints. Drew Pinciaro, with GCSO, checked with Crimes against Children investigators and was told and they were not aware of anything like that being reported.
But Pinciaro sent out a release on Monday saying, “Many of you have inquired about clowns being spotted in the woods near Fleetwood Manor Apartments (above). As of today’s date, there has been one incident report filed with our office regarding this. I have attached a copy of the incident report for your review.
“In the report you will note there were two other calls related to this. One call was regarding the clown sightings and the other call was in reference to gunshots being heard in the area. In both calls, the complainants refused to give their names and no incident report was filed. Our deputies did not locate anyone matching the description when they responded.
“This case has been assigned to our follow-up unit for further investigation and we also have deputies extra patrolling that area.”
The police report from Aug. 21 says a deputy went to Fleetwood Manor to conduct a follow-up investigation of reports from two callers on Aug. 20 who said a suspicious person dressed in circus clown clothing and white face paint trying to entice children to follow him into the woods. Pinciaro said no police reports were filed Aug. 20 because the callers were “uncooperative and would not leave their names.”
A woman told the deputy that her son told her that he saw several clowns in the woods “whispering and making strange noises.” She said she went with her son to the area where he said he had seen the clowns, and her son told her that he saw several clowns in the woods who were flashing green laser lights before they ran away. The woman’s older son told the deputy that he heard chains and banging on the front door of their home on the night of Aug. 20.
Donna Arnold says her son told her about seeing clowns. She says he is scared. “At first, I thought he was telling a fib and I said, ‘Go in the house and we’ll talk about this again,’ because I didn’t want it all over the place,” Arnold said. “And then the next day, there was like 30 kids that came up to me and said, ‘Ms. Donna, Ms. Donna, there’s clowns in the woods.’ My child was with me, so I knew they had to see something. There was more than one kid that seen them, so I feel confident that he was telling the truth.”
Another resident told the deputy that when she was walking to her home on Aug. 21 at about 2:30 a.m., she saw a large clown with a “blinking nose” standing under lamp post near a dumpster. She said the clown waved at her, but did not approach her or speak. The deputy said other children told him that several clowns appeared in the woods and tried to entice them into the woods by showing them large amounts of cash. The children said they think the clowns live in a house near a pond at the end of a trail in the woods. The deputy walked the trail to a house near a pond in the woods behind the apartment. The deputy said there were no signs of suspicious activity and found no one dressed as a clown. He said he investigated a report of gunfire the night before, and learned that men from the apartment complex, who were aware of the complaints about clowns, fired weapons in the direction of the wooded area after they heard noises.
Last Wednesday, the property manager at Fleetwood Manor sent a letter to residents warning of the complaints. The full, uncorrected text of the letter reads:
“There has been several conversation and a lot of complaints to the office regarding a clown or a person dressed in clown clothing taking children or trying to lure children in the woods. “First and foremost at Fleetwood Manor Apartments childrens safety in a top priority. At no time should a child be alone at night, or walking in the roads or wooded areas at night. Also if a person or person are seen you are to immediately called the police. Greenville County Police Department if aware of the situation and have been riding the property daily. “Remember there is a 10 p.m. curfew for the property so to ensure your childrens safety please keep them in the house during the night hours and make sure at all time children are supervised. “Anymore information that comes regarding this issue will be sent out to all residents.”
“I want it gone,” Donna Arnold said. “We’ve got over 300 kids in this community and I love all of them. And I’m scared that something is going to happen to them.”
Source: Carla Field, WYFF, August 29, 2016.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Aug 30, 2016 15:15:39 GMT -5
More Clown Sightings in GreenvilleGREENVILLE, S.C. – Deputies in South Carolina have increased patrols after getting new reports after children last week said someone dressed as a clown tried to lure into the woods.
Last night around 8:20 p.m., Greenville County Sheriff’s deputies were called to an apartment complex about 20 minutes from a development where people reported seeing clowns last week. A family living at Emerald Commons Apartments (above) said a child saw a man wearing a clown mask in woods near the complex. A woman told police, “My grandchildren’s experience was the clown was at the bottom of the hill and they started running at the top of the hill and there was a lady running and saying get the kids in the house.”
Around 10 p.m., another call came in reporting someone dressed as a clown at Shemwood Apartments, where a 12-year-old told deputies he saw two clowns in the backyard area.
In the Aug. 21 incident, children reported seeing a clown who tried to lure them into the woods with large amounts of cash. Deputies indicated they found no evidence of anyone in the woods behind Fleetwood Manor Apartments.Source: WLTX, August 30, 2016.
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Post by pat on Aug 30, 2016 15:50:59 GMT -5
Things like this spread and some of the kids (maybe all of them) could be lying.
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Post by jason on Aug 30, 2016 17:59:30 GMT -5
Things like this spread and some of the kids (maybe all of them) could be lying.
They're probably lying, but on the other hand, a group of bored teens with nothing to do could be deliberately scaring the kids.
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Post by Sam on Aug 31, 2016 2:14:01 GMT -5
There were clown sightings in Boston, MA in the early 80's and no one ever figured out what was happening. I read about it in Mysterious America by Loren Coleman. He has the cryptozoology museum in Maine and he studies strange things.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 3, 2016 15:16:50 GMT -5
Clown Sightings Spread to Other Cities/StatesGREENVILLE, S.C. – Multiple law enforcement agencies are investigating a rash of incidents involving clown sightings at apartment complexes and other areas of Greenville and Spartanburg counties. Both the Greenville Police Department and Greenville County Sheriff’s Office have open cases and the Spartanburg Police Department confirmed Thursday that a clown sighting had been reported at an apartment complex there.
Captain Art Littlejohn with the Spartanburg Police Department said officers were called to Canaan Pointe Apartments (above) Wednesday night after a suspicious person was reported. The complainant, a woman, told officers a person dressed as a clown was standing in her backyard. She snapped a photo and the person ran off. Littlejohn said the responding officer attempted to view the photo on the woman’s phone, but the image was too dark.
Deputies in Greenville County said clowns were initially seen in wooded areas, where they reportedly tried to encourage children to join them, but the situation escalated to reports that clowns were also knocking on the doors of homes. Investigators indicated no conclusive photo or video evidence has surfaced and no suspects have been named in any of the incidents. Officer Gilberto Franco with the Greenville Police Department said the biggest obstacle investigators are facing is lack of detail in the descriptions. Of the three reports his agency is investigating, Franco said not enough information was received about the costumes, hair colors and whether or not the suspects had on masks or painted faces.
The warning letter. FOX Carolina begin looking into the clown sightings after residents at Fleetwood Manor Apartments shared a letter they found on their apartment doors that left them concerned for the safety of their neighborhood.
Donna Arnold, one of those residing at the complex who received the letter, said she called the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office to come out to Fleetwood Manor after her son and others reported seeing clowns behind the basketball court. “I thought my child was seeing things,” Arnold indicated. “And then the next day, I had about 30 kids come up to me and say, ‘Did you see the clown in the woods?’”
Community activist Bruce Wilson is getting involved at the apartments to make sure children are safe, even if the sightings turn out to be harmless. “We have about two to three hundred children out here,” he said. “I want to make sure that law enforcement is doing the right thing.”
The Greenville sightings. Deputies confirmed Monday they were called to the apartment complex on Aug. 21 to investigate after residents reported seeing “a suspicious character, dressed in circus clown attire and white face paint, enticing kids to follow him/her into the woods.” Investigative reports indicate police met with a mother, whose name was redacted, who witnessed the clowns in the woods after her son notified her of their presence. The woman told deputies the clowns were shining green laser lights in the woods. Another resident also reported seeing a “large-figured clown with a blinking nose” standing under a streetlight near the trash receptacles.
Deputies spoke with children who told them clowns tried “to persuade them into the woods further by displaying large amounts of money.” The children advised they believed the clowns lived in an old house near a pond, accessible via a trail behind the apartment complex. The house near the pond was located, but deputies found no signs of suspicious activity or clowns.
According to the report, deputies received two prior calls about clowns in the area and one call about gunshots being fired at clowns. About 8:30 p.m. Monday, Greenville County deputies made their way to the Emerald Commons Apartment Complex on White Horse Road after a child said he saw a man dressed in a clown costume about two hours prior. Another clown sighting was reported at Shemwood Crossing Apartments in Greenville shortly before 10 p.m. Monday, according to the sheriff’s office. A 12-year-old told deputies two clowns were sighted in the backyard area, one with red hair and another with a white mask and body suit. The juvenile also told deputies a person was taking photographs of children. Four deputies were sent out to patrol the area.
Both incidents at Shemwood Crossing Apartments and Fleetwood Manor are being actively investigated by the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office and patrols have been increased in the locations to ensure the safety of the public.
Deputies have not been able to substantiate any claims through evidence or video surveillance, but indicated they have no reason to believe the claims aren’t true. “This type of call in particular, where people are alleging that the clowns are being used to lure children, of course we are going to take that seriously,” Greenville County deputy Ryan Flood said. On Tuesday night, the Greenville Police Department reportedly received two new calls about clown sightings at Shemwood Crossing Apartments, within hours of each other.
The series of disturbing clown sightings in Greenville that gained national attention earlier this week appear to be increasing and spreading throughout the state. Following news of the spate of clown encounters plaguing the Greenville apartment complex, new witnesses have come forward and there have been additional sightings.
Generating the most interest may be a fresh sighting which occurred Wednesday evening, providing some intriguing details about the clown. According to the witness, the unsettling harlequin was clad in a bald cap with garish hair coming out the sides, rudimentary black-and-white face paint and the tell-tale sign of evil clowns everywhere: “balloon pants.” Strangely enough, she also noticed the clown smelled like “house paint,” which is a baffling clue that could be either very important or just really weird.
Meanwhile, the harlequin reign of terror has spread about 30 miles north to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where another clown sighting was reported Wednesday evening. Additionally, a young boy in Ohio claimed he was chased by knife-wielding man in a clown mask, although we’re guessing the incident was a coincidence rather than connected to the cadre of Carolina clowns.
With panic growing in Greenville, authorities held a press conference Thursday, Sept. 1, to address the furor and send a message to the menacing harlequin. “The clowning around needs to stop!” declared Greenville police chief Ken Miller, “It’s illegal, it’s dangerous, it’s inappropriate, it’s creating community concern.”
In what may be the understatement of the year, as well as both sound life advice, in general, Miller added, “We want to encourage anyone who may be inclined to dress in clown outfits, not to do it.” He also intimated that anyone caught clad as a clown could be charged under a variety of different laws.Source: WJW, September 2, 2016.
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Post by natalie on Sept 7, 2016 14:21:33 GMT -5
What if the person is a children's party clown, dressed up for a play, or for Halloween? They might have a legitimate reason to dress up. I think that instead of charging people for dressing up, they should charge them for trying to lure children for malicious purposes, regardless of how they are dressed (and of course, if they are chasing people with weapons, that is a given). Obviously, encouraging children not to follow strangers if they offer them cash or shine lasers is something that should be reiterated, and for them to report all sightings to parents or other adults that can call the police for follow-up.
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Post by steve on Sept 8, 2016 9:24:39 GMT -5
I heard that the clown sightings might be a publicity stunt to promote the new "It" movie.
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Post by natalie on Sept 8, 2016 10:34:41 GMT -5
That actually makes a lot of sense, Steve!
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Post by Sam on Sept 9, 2016 0:34:43 GMT -5
I heard that the clown sightings might be a publicity stunt to promote the new "It" movie.
But if it's a publicity stunt, why did whoever is behind it decide on South Carolina?
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Post by Joanna on Sept 10, 2016 1:48:21 GMT -5
Man Wielding Machete Chases Clown
It seems like the spooky clown saga of summer 2016 has only just begun. On Tuesday morning, police in Greensboro, N.C., received a call about another clown sighting. A witness said a person wearing a scary clown mask, red curly wig, yellow dotted shirt, blue clown pants and clown shoes exited the woods by an apartment complex. Another witness reportedly chased the clown with a machete, but was unable to catch it before it disappeared into the woods. Officers searched the woods, but were unable to find any clowns.
This sighting comes on the heels of another sighting in Winston-Salem, N.C., just one day earlier when a clown was spotted trying to lure children into the forest with treats.
Weeks ago, a property manager at an apartment complex in Greenville, S.C., sent a letter to residents warning them that clowns had been lurking in a nearby wooded area.
Authorities are unsure if the sightings are a string of appearances by the same clown or copycats.
Source: AOL, September 8, 2016.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 15, 2016 1:06:25 GMT -5
Clown Sightings Spread to GeorgiaMACON, Ga. – Clowns appeared the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 13, near a school bus stop in Macon, possibly emerging from the bushes or a nearby abandoned house, and began chasing children, the kids later told investigators. Bibb County deputies who arrived on the scene after a 911 call, were from the third Georgia police department to receive clown reports since Friday, and the latest in a growing list of bizarre clown sightings stretching across both Carolinas and Georgia since Aug. 21.
Lt. Randy Gonzalez, of the sheriff’s office, said none of the children reported making physical contact with any clowns, but that doesn’t mean the children weren’t frightened. “Somebody was chasing them. They said they were scared, which is natural,” Gonzalez related. He added that adults were also among those who reported seeing clowns, all of whom ran off before deputies arrived. According to Gonzalez, it’s not clear if the sightings are related to another recent incident in nearby Dublin, Georgia.
In the Dublin incident, on Sept. 9, a person got into a car accident after swerving to avoid a clown, according to Dublin Police Chief Tim Chatman, who spoke with CBS affiliate WMAZ. Chatman said Dublin police have received several recent reports, but have not been able to substantiate any. Among those in Dublin who say they saw clowns are Michaela Brooks, who told WMAZ she and her sister saw three clowns in a car at around 11 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8, in the Middle Georgia State University parking lot. “A car came up behind us and parked. I didn’t think much of it, until my sister started freaking out and she told me they were dressed as clowns,” said Brooks. “We could only see part of them because they were parked to the back of us ... you could see the big hair.”
A hundred and fifty miles away, in Lagrange, Georgia, police posted to Facebook Monday that they “received several calls about clowns in a van and in wooded areas trying to talk to children. This behavior is not cute or funny,” the department posted. “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 reports of clowns emerging from the woods and approaching children began in Greenville, South Carolina, Aug. 21, when a woman reported that her son had seen a “suspicious character ... dressed in circus clown attire and white face paint, enticing kids to follow him/her into the woods.” Children in that case also told police they believed the clowns were associated with a nearby abandoned house. They said clowns offered them money and shined lasers. A week later police in Greenville, S.C., received a similar report. And again, the night after that.
Then the clown sightings started to spread. First to the North Carolina cities of Winston-Salem and Greensboro, where police received several reports in early September. Police in Winston-Salem believe at least one report was fabricated. Police have not been able to substantiate all reports – including one Greensboro case in which a man said he was armed with a machete when he chased a clown back into the woods.
As the reports spread to Georgia, Gonzalez said police don’t find the clowning funny. “They’re scaring children,” he insisted.Source: Crimesider, September 13, 2016.
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Post by pat on Sept 15, 2016 16:04:04 GMT -5
I'm surprised that they haven't gotten to Florida.
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Post by natalie on Sept 19, 2016 12:02:35 GMT -5
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Post by Graveyardbride on Sept 21, 2016 11:10:40 GMT -5
Clown Sightings Spread, People ArrestedIn Chattanooga, Tennessee, police asked residents to call 911 if they see a clown in an unusual place or attempting to lure children.
Noel Foster, mayor of White Hall, Arkansas, said two or three unverified clown sightings were reported in Pine Bluff near its border with White Hall. Police received a call about a clown in the wooded area behind the Tractor Supply store at 6309 Sheridan Road. Officers do not know who reported the sighting, but the clown was allegedly carrying a machete or something else in his hand. While several sightings have been reported, police haven’t actually seen any clowns. But even if they had, the officers would have to prove the clown intended to commit a crime to make an arrest, Lt. David DeFoor said. Otherwise, the most police could do is just talk to the clowns and advise them to stop making the public uneasy. “You can’t charge someone for carrying a machete,” he added. “And there’s nothing illegal about wearing a clown costume, or on Halloween we’d be arresting thousands of people.”
Clown sightings, which started in Greenville, South Carolina, have spread to several other states, including Georgia, North Carolina, Maryland, Kentucky and Alabama, and now to Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Virginia. The reports include clowns attempting to lure children into the woods and clowns riding in vans as they did in reports from the 1980s. On Saturday, Sept. 17, a woman in Water Valley, Mississippi, reported a clown lurking in her backyard and some older children chased him (or her) into the woods.
Following an arrest by the police in Front Royal, Virginia, of a man allegedly wearing a clown mask, law enforcement agencies are warning residents of other potential clown sightings. On Tuesday, both the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and Winchester Police Department posted warnings on their websites.
There have also been accusations of false clown sightings. In two recent cases in Georgia and North Carolina, three people were arrested and now face misdemeanor charges. David Wayne Armstrong, 24, was arrested Sept. 9 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after police allege he lied about chasing a clown into the woods after it knocked on his window. In Troup County, Georgia, on Sept. 14, Brandon Moody, 26, and 27-year-old Rebecca Moody were arrested after allegedly falsely reporting they saw clowns in the area.
In a third, more serious case in LaGrange, Georgia, arrest warrants have been issued for four people on charges of terroristic threats and disrupting public schools after the suspects allegedly posted on Facebook that they would attack the schools dressed as “creepy clowns.” In a similar case in Alabama, police reportedly arrested 22-year-old Makayla Smith for allegedly threatening students in Flomaton, Alabama, on a social media site called “Flomo Klown.” Her threats resulted in a school lockdown. According to reports, three juveniles were along arrested with Smith.Sources: Chris Brantley, WRCB, Sept. 20, 2016; Austin Cannon, ArkansasOnline, Sept. 20, 2016; and WHSV, Sept. 20, 2016; and Adam Carlson, People Magazine, Sept. 20, 2016.
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