Creepy Clown Sighting Prompts Warnings from Sheriff’s Office

LARGO, FL — The wave of creepy clown sightings that has swept the country over the past few weeks has hit the Tampa Bay area. A high school girl was reportedly at her bus stop Wednesday when she spotted a clown.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred at a bus stop off Trotter Road near 134th Avenue, close to Largo High School. The girl’s mother reported the sighting and also took to Facebook to share what her daughter saw.

The clown in question appears to possibly have been a high school student, “dressed in a yellow clown suit with polka dots,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Stephenie Tatum said. The costume also included a rubber clown mask and “oversized red clown shoes,” she added.

Though likely a prank, the sheriff’s office said those who don clown costumes to scare others could find themselves in hot water in more ways than one. Deputies have two misdemeanor laws they can employ to bring charges against those who are clowning around with the intent to harass others, according to Sgt. Spencer Gross. The state’s disorderly conduct statute fits the scenario, Gross said, as does a rarely used law prohibiting people age 16 and older from wearing a mask, hood or other device that conceals identity.

Gross asked residents to urge their children to avoid people in any type of costume and to go to a safe place and notify an adult. For those considering joining the creepy clown wave, Gross said they should think twice.

“Please don’t dress up with the intent of harassing people in public, because it’s dangerous and it can potentially be illegal,” he said.

Largo’s clown sighting comes on the heels of a similar incident in Ocala. In that case, the sighting was caught on video, showing a person in a mask standing on a road. The video, posted to Facebook, has more than a million views.

Clown sightings have cropped up all across the country in recent weeks. They’ve been reported in Colorado, Maryland, Tennessee and elsewhere. Several incidents have been confirmed hoaxes, including recent reported sightings in Maryland.

As of Thursday, Largo’s creepy clown had not been identified. No other sightings have been reported.

»Photo via Pixabay/Video of the Ocala clown via Facebook