Geneva Clown Posts: Alabama Teens Arrested For Instagram Threats, Related To Creepy Clown Sightings?

A recent batch of Geneva clown posts on social media has resulted in the arrest of four juveniles as of Tuesday morning. The students were reportedly connected to an online clown prank that was targeting schools located in the Geneva, Alabama, area. The arrested students in the clown threats were three middle schoolers and one high school student, as AL.com reported from Capt. Ricky Morgan of the Geneva Police Department.

The threats made by the students were reportedly terrorist threats, with one threatening “Look out Geneva, we are coming for you” and suggesting possible school shootings in the area. They were made from social media accounts featuring clown images. One account name was Stitchez_the_klown and the other was Crazo_the_cappinclown. The arrested students admitted to making the posts and said they were a prank and not an actual threat.

Apparently, each of the students took different clown images from online and created Instagram accounts to post the threats. Some of the threats included “shoot it up in Geneva,” and the Instagram posts were eventually posted to Facebook as well. It was when the images hit the Facebook social media site that parents of students became concerned over what the threats were implying. Many students were kept home from the schools and police issued a “soft lockdown” for area schools.

As the Dothan Eagle reported, Geneva County Sheriff Tony Helms stated that it led to “over 205 absences,” which equals a “16 percent absentee level” over the threatening clown hoax.

Helms also commented about one post that a student had planned to make but never actually posted online.

“It was just about clowns coming to Geneva. The concerning part was just the fact that they said they were coming to Geneva, and because of all the clown stuff going on that caused a panic.”

This latest clown news comes as a wave of creepy clown sightings was reported in various locations around the United States. There were reports of clowns seen in the Georgia and North and South Carolina areas, as well as recent sightings in Pennsylvania. In many of the cases, there’s been trouble with officers being able to confirm the presence of the clowns. However, it’s provided a reason to be cautious, especially during the Halloween season. There have been reports of some of the clowns targeting kids with their scare tactics, and some instances where someone dressed as a clown attempted to lure a child into the woods.

There had been speculation earlier in September that the creepy clown sightings were merely a film studio’s marketing gimmick. A new movie, 31, produced by Rob Zombie, features killers dressed like clowns hunting down a group of individuals. However, Rob Zombie and the studio involved with the film denied any sort of viral marketing, according to Uproxx. A statement mentioned the instance of the costumed characters in the southern states.

“The company and the film 31 are not associated in any way with the creepy clowns and costumed characters found roaming the South.”

There’s always potential that the movie could be blamed for any clown-related threats or sightings in the future just based on copycats looking to imitate the film. However, it’s likely that most adults will be dressing up as other popular characters from movies, television, and pop culture for the upcoming holiday. There haven’t been major reports of clown costumes being sold more heavily by costume or party stores.

This isn’t the first arrest made with regards to the clown sightings or threats, though, and probably won’t be the last. The International Business Times reported on the instance of the Alabama arrests, there appears to be no connection to the other sightings. In addition, there haven’t been any sightings reported in the state. However, one has to wonder if there will be any news connected to creepy clown incidents with Halloween just a month and 10 days away.

In relation to all of this news, the authorities appear to be taking any reports they receive very seriously. While there haven’t been any major arrests made of people dressed in costumes, arrests could be made for making up stories. There have been false sightings being reported, such as one in Annapolis, Maryland, according to WTOP News. In that situation, it was kids making up the story of costume individuals wearing makeup and admitting it to police later.

UPDATE – Kids admit to making up story about clowns, more Info to follow #Annapolis

— Annapolis Police (@AnnapolisPD) September 20, 2016

With the holiday season approaching, authorities are also reminding parents to be vigilant when it comes to their children’s whereabouts. Also, parents are encouraged to remind kids to run from any adult who makes them feel scared or uncomfortable, not take items from strangers, and staying with groups of other kids to prevent being isolated by a stranger.

[Featured Image by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images]