NC Cops: Those Clown Sightings Were Fake

Those afraid of clowns can sleep a little easier in North Carolina, where authorities say at least two reports of suspicious clown sightings in Winston-Salem were fabricated. Residents first reported that a clown was trying to lure kids into woods with treats on Sept. 4. However, police say surveillance footage from the area showed no clown. Police also received a call about a clown knocking on a man's window around 3am Friday, per the Greensboro News & Record. David Armstrong, 24—who initially said he'd chased the clown—later admitted to inventing the story, police say. He's charged with filing a false police report.

Police add they've found nothing to substantiate additional reports of suspicious clowns, but "due to the recent national exposure of clown sightings in several communities, we would caution all to be careful in wearing a clown outfit in public," a rep tells the Winston-Salem Journal. Authorities in nearby Cleveland County say reports of a clown spotted near two schools last week were also false. "This is kind of getting a little bit out of hand," an officer tells WSOC of the false reports. "We don't understand why people are doing it." (A sheriff in South Carolina has vowed to arrest creepy clowns.)