An Okotoks mother says it’s no prank to dress up as a clown in an attempt to scare people after her daughter and a friend spotted a “creepy clown” crouched outside an Okotoks home.
The mother, who the Western Wheel has agreed not to name, said her daughter and a friend were babysitting in a home in the Crystal Ridge area on Oct. 15 when an individual in a clown mask was seen outside crouched down beside a car in front of the house.
“The little kids said there’s a clown outside, so they ran to the window,” she said.
The person is holding something. While the children said it appeared to be a knife, she said it’s hard to say whether it was real or not. She said the clown looked directly at the girls and disappeared soon after.
While the younger children were startled by the incident, she said the older girls played it down thinking it was a brother playing a prank.
Eventually, said the mother, they determined it wasn’t a prank and they don’t know who it was.
“We just got through talking to the girls and realized it wasn’t a joke and it wasn’t one of her brothers,” she said. “It wasn’t a prank.”
They took a photo of the person, but it is difficult to determine how old the person is and what they were holding
Sightings of so-called creepy clowns have been reported in communities across North America. The mother said it’s not a joke to dress up with the intention of scaring people.
“Either way, it’s not funny,” she said.
She said Okotoks RCMP were informed about the incident.
Okotoks RCMP Sgt. Sukh Randhawa said he hasn’t heard of any other creepy clown incidents in Okotoks.
He said people should not be playing these types of pranks, particularly with the number of incidents occurring in other communities.
“Given the circumstances right now when there’s so much in the media and people are spooked about the whole thing, I would suggest that people just don’t dress up like a clown and walk around,” he said.
Randhawa said it’s not illegal to walk around in a clown suit, but problems, and potential charges, could come it a person was doing something menacing.
He encouraged anyone who sees anything suspicious to report it to RCMP.
With Halloween coming, Randhawa said Okotoks RCMP officers will be out patrolling the community on Halloween to ensure everyone has a safe and fun time.
“We have enough resources working that night to cover the town of Okotoks and the surrounding area,” he said.
Randhawa said Halloween evenings have been largely uneventful in Okotoks in recent years.
He encouraged trick-or-treaters to go out with parents or in groups. Teens and youths should let their parents know where they are going, how long they plan to be out and to have a cell phone handy, he added. He also reminded parents to ensure they know where their children are.
People can report anything suspicious on Halloween to police, said Randhawa.
