Winchester Police Chief Says Creepy Clown Calls A Drain On Public Resources
WINCHESTER (CBS) -- Several communities have had reports of a suspicious person with a weapon wearing a clown outfit lately—and police in Winchester, where the latest such incident happened, say responding to such calls is starting to drain public resources.
It all stemmed from a post on a community Facebook page on Tuesday.
Winchester Police Chief Peter MacDonell says someone reported seeing a clown armed with a machete in the Winchester Fells, a popular recreational area.
"We have to take it seriously, we can't just dismiss it," MacDonell said.
.@WINCHESTER_PD determined yesterday's reported "clown with a machete" sighting in the Fells was a hoax.
— Bernice Freedman (@BerniceNews) October 5, 2016
Two police officers responded to the woods and, after a couple of hours, determined there was no threat.
It was a hoax.
"There can be consequences for perpetrating hoaxes like this," said the Chief. "Criminal consequences for the misuse of police resources and for putting the community in fear."
Police are still trying to determine who made the false report and catch them.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Bernice Corpuz reports