Alleged ‘Creepy Clown’ Threat Results in Boy’s Felony Arrest

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL – An online threat levied against students at Seven Springs Middle School has resulted in the arrest of a 12-year-old boy on second-degree felony charges.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, numerous calls came in Monday night in reference to a picture of a clown posted on social media and a statement that he was “going to kill kids at Seven Springs Middle School.” Responding to the calls, the sheriff’s office’s cybercrimes unit, school resource deputies and others launched into an investigation.

It was discovered a 12-year-old boy had made the post, said Sheriff Chris Nocco.

“In talking with our detectives, he admitted it,” Nocco said, adding the boy told deputies he “thought it would be funny.”

That joke, however, has resulted in the boy being charged with a second-degree felony under a Florida law that prohibits anyone from making written threats to kill, Nocco said.

“Last Friday, we discussed these clown threats,” he said. “At that point, we said there was going to be zero tolerance.”

On Friday, Sept. 30, schools throughout the county were on Alert Campus status following a “creepy clown” tweet threatening high schools in the area.

Nocco said the decision to charge the boy with the second-degree felony stems from a few reasons. First, the boy made written threats to kill, as outlined in the law, Nocco said. Second, “we continue to warn kids, teens, young adults, anybody, if you threaten one of our schools, you threaten people in our community, that (the) line in the sand is drawn.”

In a statement released to media early Friday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said clown sightings have occurred over the past few days primarily in the Hudson, Holiday and Port Richey areas.

“This is a nationwide event and these clowns are associating themselves with “evil, murder, rape, and violent acts,’” an email from the 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 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.

Patch is not releasing the Pasco boy's name due to his age.

Photo via Pixabay