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KAYSVILLE — The social media-fueled creepy clown mania amped up in Utah schools Wednesday and Thursday, with one teen arrested for clown-related threats, clown graffiti at a junior high school and a fistfight involving teens wearing clown masks at a school football game.
In West Haven, a 14-year-old boy was arrested Thursday for allegedly making clown-related threats to fellow classmates at Rocky Mountain Junior High School.
"The student thought it would be funny to capitalize on the recent attention that clown threats have received in the media," said Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Nate Hutchinson. "The student created a fake social media Instagram account using an alias of a clown. He then sent several private messages to his fellow students or his friends threatening to shoot and/or stab them."
The boy was arrested for investigation of four counts of making a threat of violence. He was released after his arrest. The boy was also expelled from school, according to Hutchinson.
"The Weber County Sheriff’s Office takes all threats seriously, whether they are meant as a joke or to incite fear," he said. "They will be investigated thoroughly and anyone involved will be prosecuted."
The threats weren't credible and were intended as "simply a joke," but the behavior is unacceptable, Hutchinson said.
Clown fight
The alleged threats came on the heels of a clown-related incident at Jordan High School in Sandy Wednesday night. Sandy Police Lt. Ronni Stevenson confirmed that two 14-year-old boys came to the high school's powder puff football game wearing clown masks, resulting in a physical confrontation with at least two other people.
"They showed up not necessarily dressed as clowns but wearing clown masks because they thought it would be funny, and found out it's not funny, and some people took offense," Stevenson said. "A fight broke out when the kids were trying to leave and take the masks off and say it was no big deal."
The identities and ages of the assailants have not been determined, Stevenson said. The fight is under investigation.
Jeff Haney, Canyons School District spokesman, said the two boys drew attention when they stood at the edge of the activities. Those who assaulted them reportedly told the two boys they were scaring people, he said.
The individual who started the fight is not believed to be a Jordan High student, according to Haney, who called the fight a "dust-up" and no one was seriously injured. Stevenson confirmed that one of the 14-year-olds went to a hospital to be checked out.
"I don't even understand this whole clown thing," Stevenson added.
Related:
Social media fueling creepy clown hype in Utah, police say
The recent hype of creepy clown sightings that has affected many cities across the United States has reached Utah.Clown vandalism
Chris Williams said he and other Davis School District officials had the same reaction when they discovered clown-related graffiti at a Kaysville school Thursday morning: "You've got to be kidding me."
The graffiti was discovered at Fairfield Junior High School, 951 N. Fairfield St., and appears to be related to the creepy clown anomaly that is disrupting schools around the country.
"We see this as just plain vandalism," said Williams, the district's community relations director.
Messages spray painted outside three doors to the school included, "I'm the real clown," "Fake clowns die" and "I will kill," along with a lot of "ha ha" tags.
Williams said police are investigating the vandalism and he believes it will only take a few days to identify the clown or clowns responsible because "kids love to talk."
"Whoever did it is going to be held responsible and is going to pay for the cost of cleanup, it's just as simple as that," he said.
Kaysville Police Lt. Paul Thompson said police are looking for surveillance footage that may identify anyone involved with the graffiti at Fairfield Junior High. A clown-related Instagram post connected to the school was also reported earlier in the week, but police have not determined who was responsible.
In the meantime, extra police patrols have been assigned to the school in hopes of easing concerns from students and parents.
The three incidents are the latest in a series of episodes in Utah schools following a social media phenomenon of people posting photos and videos — some threatening — claiming to be connected to frightening clowns and clown sightings. Reported clown sightings have occurred in Utah this week in Orem, Provo, Roy, Ogden, Kaysville, Lehi, Murray, Tooele and West Point.
While Fairfield's schedule was not interrupted by the vandalism, an estimated 60 students out of the 1,060-person student body were checked out of school Thursday, Williams said. In other cases, parents came to the school to talk to their frightened children.
"They want to be at school," Williams said. "We're trying to keep this as low-key as possible."
The students who left school are responsible to make up any missed work for the day, he noted.
Williams said he was reminding people Thursday of the unnecessary panic that spread following Orson Wells' "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast, which detailed the fictional arrival of hostile aliens from Mars.
"There has been no credibility to any of the rumors that are going on in this state, in many states, and that's the downfall of social media. We have to train ourselves and our children about what's a legitimate information source," Williams said.
Thompson called the national trend the result of fear and misinformation.
