Two teens charged for making clown threats at Holmen schools

One threatened football game, other posted about teen dying

It’s becoming a circus but no one is laughing.

Social media threats toward local schools involving clowns has caused problems a couple times now in the area.

Central High School closed Friday morning after a Facebook threat from clown profile. In Houston, Minn., school went on lockdown and Monday’s evening activities were cancelled after a similar threat.

The latest, threats involving the Holmen school district, where two teenagers are charged with felonies.

One post by a 15-year-old threatened students who went to the Holmen’s homecoming football game, saying there would be clowns there out to hurt people.

The other by a 13-year-old featured a fake news post depicting a Holmen teen dying, followed by a message saying, “You’ve been clowned,” once the link was opened.

Holmen Police Chief Shane Collins says the kids think they’re being funny, until they’re caught and charged.

The two boys have been charged with terroristic threats for posting the social media messages. Collins said the two fit right into a new law that was passed by legislature this year.

“That statute covers this,” he said. “If the (person) intends to cause public inconvenience or public panic or fear. You also have the charge of disorderly conduct with a computerized device.”

The clown phenomenon continues to grow.

In Menasha, Wis., parents who decided to dress up and scare people in the middle of the night last weekend are being charged with child neglect. While they didn’t necessarily do anything wrong dressed as clowns, walking around, they did leave their 4-year-old child home alone for hours.

In Crookston, Minn., a 15-year-old dressed as a clown was arrested after chasing people with a large butcher’s knife Saturday.

And, in Green Bay, Wis., similar to the La Crosse situation, a 13-year-old had charges sent to juvenile authorities, after posting Sunday on Facebook threatening 10 schools “WE will be targeting.”