COLUMBUS – Creepy clowns caused a few tense hours for parents students at one central Ohio high school and a suburban Cincinnati school district closed schools Friday after a woman reported being grabbed around the neck by a male dressed as a clown who she said made a threat against students.
Parents at Central Crossing High School in Grove City became alarmed by a social media post by a student featuring someone dressed as a clown and threatening to harm students.
Grove City police say they investigated this claim and determined there was no threat, according to information posted on the department’s Facebook page.
Officers were at the school to provide additional security Friday morning.
“Thanks to the strong relationship between the community and the Grove City Division of Police, information was shared quickly, allowing a thorough investigation and a positive outcome,,” the statement read.
The South Western City Schools also issued a statement to parents saying that district officials believed students would be safe at school Friday.
The safety and security of our students is one of our highest priorities. Overnight, the Grove City Police Department received a number of calls from parents, who were concerned about some inappropriate and potentially threatening social media posts. The GCPD identified the original source of the posts and officers conducted a threat assessment. We are confident that our staff and students are as safe today as any other school day. -South Western City Schools statement
The Grove City police school resource officer conducted a threat assessment by going to the male student’s home and meeting with his parents and the post was taken down, Lt. Jeff Lawless said.
Lawless says the case has been assigned to the division’s investigative bureau for floow-up and no charges had been filed Friday morning.
The student’s name and age were not available.
Reading Community City School District officials referred to a Facebook threat when they announced that district schools would be closed Friday. School officials said they take all threats seriously and were concerned about the number of students who walk to school in the early morning.
People in other parts of Ohio and other states have reported scary or suspicious encounters with people dressed like clowns in recent weeks.
Police in the Cincinnati suburb of Colerain Township say they arrested a juvenile Thursday in connection with a clown threat there involving threatened harm to Colerain High School students.