BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In response to two more Alabama schools being locked down as a result of bizarre “creepy clown” warnings, Alabama law enforcement officials warned that the culprits could end up facing terrorism charges.
Shades Valley High School in Irondale and Holy Family Cristo Rey High School in Ensley both received phone calls warning them that clowns might show up at or near the schools. Holy Family Cristo Rey’s call said that a clown would be coming by and attempting to lure children into the woods.
Police searches turned up nothing, but the schools took precautions nonetheless.
The latest school lockdowns come after similar incidents occurred in South Alabama. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department last week arrested three individuals in connection to Facebook postings by a page called “Flomo Klown” that included cryptic threats.
Previous reports of creepy clowns in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina also caused a stir nationally, particularly because some of the reports described the clowns as attempting to lure children into the woods with candy. To this point, no one has been arrested for dressing up in a clown costume, but multiple arrests have been made as a result of people filing false police reports.
The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office also warned would-be pranksters that such posts could result in their arrest.
“The Sheriff’s Office has received numerous reports of social media posts of individuals making threats under the auspice of being clowns,” the Department wrote on Facebook. “These threats under Alabama Law could result in arrest for ‘Making a Terroristic Threat’ which is a felony. School resource officers have identified several suspects that were making the posts and an investigation is currently ongoing.”
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