Lloyd councilman Joseph Mazzetti has asked police chief Daniel Waage about concerns over “creepy clowns.” Calling the police whenever there’s a concern is the best course of action, Waage advised.
As yet, there have been no calls in Highland about possible miscreants dressed in clown costumes and acting in a suspicious or menacing manner. Due to an arrest made by the Poughkeepsie police in a clown-related threat against the Poughkeepsie Middle School last week, however, Highland school district administrators have asked local parents to remind their children of the seriousness of using social media to make threats, even under the guise of “joking around.”
Children should tell their parents or other adults if they become aware of any threats on social media, the school district advised. “Pranks have the potential to cause tremendous fear and disruption. Any threats will be treated very seriously and those responsible will face consequences.”
The person arrested in the Poughkeepsie situation has been charged with making a terroristic threat, a class D felony.
Clown sightings in the weeks before Halloween — generally in clusters — have been a phenomenon around the country since as far back as 1981, according to a recent CNN report. Many of them are considered “phantom clowns,” with no evidence of clown activity documented, but there are occasional pranks as well.
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