In a small U.S. town, a sinister clown has been spotted trying to lure children into the woods leaving a whole neighbourhood terrified.
It may sound like something from Stephen King’s infamous IT, but police in Greensville, South Carolina, are taking the matter deadly seriously and are warning parents to keep their kids out of the woods near Fleetwood Manor Apartments, ABC 13 reports.
They’ve sent a letter to parents living in the apartments reminding them that children should never be alone or walking through the woods at night, and have begun daily patrols of the property due to the reports.
The letter reads:
To The Residents of Fleetwood Manor.
There has been several conversations and a lot of complaints to the office regarding a clown or a person dressed in clown clothing taking children or trying to lure children in the woods.
First and foremost at Fleetwood Manor Apartments children’s safety is a top priority. At no time should a child be alone at night, or walking in the roads or wooded areas at night. Also if a person or persons are seen you are to immediately call the police.
Greenville County Police Department is aware of the situation and have been riding the property daily.
Remember there is a 10pm curfew for the property so to ensure your children’s safety please keep them in the house during night hours and make sure at ALL times children are supervised. Anymore information that becomes regarding this issue will be sent out to all residents.
Donna Arnold, a resident in the apartment block, called the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office to report the clown after her son and his friends claimed to have spotted it behind the basketball court.
At first, she didn’t believe her son thinking he was seeing things, but the next day 30 kids came up to her and asked: “Did you see the clown in the woods?”
A community activist, Bruce Wilson, has now got involved to ensure that the apartment’s kids remain safe, even if the clown in the woods doesn’t intend any harm.
Wilson said:
We have about two to three hundred children out here, I want to make sure that law enforcement is doing the right thing.
While we’re sure it’s just pranksters trying to frighten kids, we can promise you one thing – there’s no way we’d be in those woods while a clown was on the loose.
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.