Police prepare for clown calls on Beggars’ Night

A rash of creepy clown sightings had people on edge recently.

The creepy clown craze that spread across the nation and into the Miami Valley recently could add another element of fear to Beggars’ Night activities scheduled through Halloween on Monday, according to local police.

RELATED: When is Beggars’ Night in your city?

“We anticipate there being possibly some more calls for service with that issue going on,” Kettering police officer John Jung said. “Our officers, as they do every year on Beggars’ Night, will be in the neighborhoods. They’ll be very vigilant, very diligent at making contact with people in the neighborhoods, making themselves very noticeable.”

The Miami Valley has had several reported clown sightings, most of which occurred toward the end of last month. While most reports are of people dressed as clowns chasing people, an incident in Fairborn led to the arrest of a 15-year-old boy after he used a clown persona on social media to threaten to kill students.

There haven’t been many reported sightings in the last few weeks, but law enforcement agencies are still asking residents to take proper precautions when trick-or-treating.

“We urge our residents to treat them (people dressed like clowns) like any other stranger,” Centerville Community Relations Officer John Davis said. Davis added that simply because someone is dressed as a clown does not mean they can take action toward that person without a justifiable cause.

“We can’t do anything based on what they’re wearing,” Davis said.

Jung said the calls Kettering has received about clown sightings have not been “substantiated.”

“If anything else, it’s kind of put back on the community that if they see behavior or activity that is offending or bothering people, that they call us and let us deal with the people who may or may not be doing something wrong,” Jung said.

While most are probably just wanting to get into some good, old-fashioned pranks, playing on people’s fears can be risky.

Darke County Sheriff Toby Spencer posted a warning to his personal Facebook earlier this month, warning others of just how clown pranks could go wrong. “For you that think it’s funny to dress up as a clown, scare drivers on dark roadways … as of today we have issued 6,125 (concealed carry) permits in Darke County alone,” he wrote. “You might also ask yourself how your luck will be today.”


Reports local of clown sightings

Sept. 27: A 28-year-old man in Greenville reported that he was chased by two people dressed as clowns.

Sept. 28: Brookville police responded to a call that children spotted a clown in the woods near their home.

Sept. 29: A Franklin woman reported being chased by a person dressed as a clown as she entered her apartment building.

Sept. 29: Multiple sightings of a person dressed as a clown were reported at Wilmington College.

Sept. 30: School officials place Wright Brothers school on a partial lock down after social media posts claim someone dressed as a clown was in the area.

Sept. 30: A 15-year-old boy was arrested in Fairborn for using a clown persona on social media to threaten to kill students.

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