No ‘Creepy Clown’ Found Behind Largo Middle School: Cops

LARGO, FL — As “creepy clown” sightings in the Tampa Bay area begin to rise, the Largo Police Department said a recent report in its jurisdiction turned up nothing.

According to the agency, a report came in Friday, Sept. 30 about a clown standing in woods behind Largo Middle School, 155 Eighth Ave. S.E. Officers were dispatched to the area to check out the claim, but turned up no evidence of a clown, an email from the agency said.

“Officers were unable to locate anyone in the area, and have since scoured the woods where the person was reported to be,” the email said. “They found no evidence to support that anyone had been in that section of the wooded area in a long time.”

While no clown was found, police say they are monitoring the situation. They’ve also notified surrounding schools, CSX railroad and public works employees.

Friday’s reported clown sighting comes on the heels of one earlier in the week in unincorporated Largo at a bus stop by Trotter and 134th. In that case, a high school girl reported seeing a person dressed in a yellow clown suit with polka dots, a rubber mask and over-sized clown shoes.

Reports of clown sightings are also up in Pasco County where deputies there say sighting have occurred in Port Richey, Holiday and Hudson. Pasco County schools were operating on alert campus status Friday following a threatening tweet from an alleged “creepy clown.”

“This is a nationwide event and these clowns are associating themselves with “evil, murder, rape, and violent acts,’” an email from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said. Clowns are creating profiles on Facebook, the agency noted, and are attempting to befriend juveniles.

“In one post, a clown requested that a juvenile meet them at a park at night,” the Pasco sheriff's office email said. “We want to caution everyone that these types of acts are not being taken as a joke and are being investigated as threats.”

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.

Image credit: Davocano via Flickr