Authorities said they now plan to charge a man who—while wearing a frightening clown mask—allegedly followed children on their bus ride home from school in Auburn Tuesday.
Auburn Police said they planned to charge the man with disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace, but those charges are still pending.
The man, who has yet to be identified by police, allegeldy not only followed the school bus in his car, but later followed some students on their walk home from the bus stop, seemingly in an attempt to spook them. “This caused extreme fear to the children and also caused them to have to hide under a nearby backyard deck to avoid the man,” a statement on the department’s Facebook page read.
“We are hopeful that others will learn from this incident and not repeat these types of behaviors.”
Authorities said they later learned that the man was a parent of one of the students on the bus.
The department also thanked members of the community who assisted with the investigation.
The country has seen an uptick in frightening or outright menacing clown incidents, with residents in at least 26 states reporting the strange encounters to police, according to the Boston Globe.
Man in clown mask who followed kids will be charged: Police
File/Metro
