You may have heard reports of alleged “creepy clowns” across America. In Platte City on Friday, a similar type report was filed with police.
It’s important to note Platte City police say there is no independent verification of the clown sighting. But here is what was reported to the Platte City Police Department.
On Friday night, a 16-year-old-girl who lives in an apartment complex on Bello Mondo said she heard a knock at the door and a person in a disguised, artificial voice spoke. The girl walked away from the door and up some stairs in the apartment to look out a window. She said she saw a person wearing clown make-up and a fright wig. She screamed and the person ran away, she told police.
The girl told a friend about the incident. The friend notified police.
“We are taking it at face value. I just don’t know what to think of it,” said Lt. Al Devalkenaere of the Platte City Police Department this week.
Police told The Landmark that only the 16-year-old girl saw the clown. No other neighbors saw it, according to Devalkenaere.
The incident was reported at 7:49 p.m. Devalkenaere said when the alleged incident occurred it would not have been dark yet “and there were people out.”
The girl told police a few weeks in advance of Friday’s alleged incident she had received at least two Facebook messages from a person identifying as a clown. She said the first message was “Hey, do you want to play?” and the second message was “I’m coming to kill you.”
But those Facebook messages have not yet been shown to police, Devalkenaere told The Landmark on Tuesday.
Devalkenaere said that shortly after Friday’s report there were also rumors at the Platte County High School football game going on at the stadium a few blocks away from Bello Mondo that there were clowns at the football game. But Devalkenaere said those reports proved to only
be rumors, as there was no verified clown sighting by anyone.
Creepy clown sightings have been reported in various areas of the country. Among the areas hit by the trend is Topeka, Kan. Police there have received reports of sightings of a man dressed in a clown outfit.
Police aren’t sure who started the creepy clown trend, but police in Topeka point out it can cause problems for the public and especially those who are dressed up as clowns, meaning those dressed in the clown costumes could be putting themselves at risk of injury from those who feel a need to defend themselves if convinced they are at risk.