Here is a timeline of the creepy clown trend:
  • On Aug. 1, a clown was sighted in Green Bay, Wisconsin, walking around with black balloons.  The clown was not arrested.
  • On Aug. 29, Greenville County, South Carolina, residents reported that clowns were trying to lure their children into the woods. National news outlets picked up the story.
  • On Sept. 4, police in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, were told clowns were trying to lure kids into the woods.
  • On Sept. 14, deputies in McDuffie County, Georgia, received a call that a 12-year-old and his little brother were chased by men in clown costumes.
  • On Sept. 15, schools were put on lockdown and parents were called after a clown in Flomaton, Alabama, wrote threatening posts on social media. A 22-year-old woman, Makayla Smith, was arrested for the threats. Clowns were also sighted near the area’s two high schools.
  • On Sept. 19, clowns were reported in different neighborhoods of Annapolis, Maryland. These sightings were later called a hoax by authorities.
  • On Sept. 21, a middle school-aged girl in Athens, Georgia, brought a knife to school for protection against clowns and was arrested. In Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on that same day a 12-year-old was reportedly chased by clowns through a park.
  • On Sept. 24, a woman walking her dogs reported seeing “killer clowns” in Palm Bay, Florida.
  • On Sept. 25, three people wearing clown costumes reportedly jumped out of a wooded area and chased a child in Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
  • On Sept. 27, Tennessee officials announced clown sightings and told residents to be vigilant. Police in Phoenix, Arizona, on the same day said that a fast food restaurant was robbed by clown-mask-wearing criminals.
  • On Sept. 30, a New York Times report said that false claims of seeing clowns had led to 12 arrests in 10 states. In Houston on that day a threatening Facebook post put at least five schools on high alert.
  • On Oct. 3, sightings were reported in Nampa, Idaho, while police in New Haven, Connecticut, urged schools to ban clown costumes from Halloween this year.
  • On Oct. 7, clowns were reported in Edmonton, Canada. Clowns were also spotted in Melbourne, Australia.
  • On Oct. 9, officials in England reported that clowns had been sighted there.
  • Source: www.ibtimes.com