Before Tuesday was over, the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department’s Facebook post had reached 60,000 page views. Thousands of people shared it. It was about creepy clown sightings – and how to handle them.
“To be brutally honest,” said Fort Oglethorpe Police Capt. Gary McConathy, “I cannot think of anything else in my entire 26 years that rivals this right here. I don’t remember any fads we were ever worried about. But you have to remember: The times have changed with social media and Snapchats and Facebook pages.”
As reports have multiplied across the region – and country – in recent months of people dressing up as scary clowns, Tennessee and Georgia law enforcement rebounded this week with near choreographed warnings: Don’t dress up like a clown and threaten people; that’s against the law. But just as importantly, don’t lie about clowns that aren’t there.
Otherwise?
You could be prosecuted for filing “a false report,” a charge that’s only as serious as the jurisdiction you’re charged in.