Two alleged clown sightings reported to the Farmville Police Department were deemed unfounded following investigation late Sunday night into early Monday morning, according to Farmville Police Captain Bill Hogan.
“We’ve had no credible clown sightings in the Town of Farmville,” he said.
According to Hogan, one was reported at approximately 8:37 p.m. near the town’s skate park off of West Third St. next to Wilke’s Lake Park on Sunday, Oct. 9. The second was reported at approximately 12:20 a.m. near the Sunchase Longwood Apartments complex on Monday, Oct. 10.
No reports were called in by eyewitnesses; most were reported by people who saw there was a sighting on social media, according to Hogan.
“We never spoke with anyone who actually saw a clown,” he said.
There have been no curfews imposed on any public areas in town, such as parks. The general park hours still apply, according to Hogan.
The alleged clown sightings in Farmville come on the heels of similar in reports in Bedford County, an hour and half west of town, last week and in Buckingham County, half an hour to the west, in late September.
All police departments in the three counties stated there were no credible sightings.
Nationally, alleged reports of creepy clowns have spread after originating in Georgia from clown-related threats to kidnap children from elementary schools and South Carolina where children reported clowns attempting to lure them into the woods with money in late August.
As the fear of clowns spread, more people have reported sightings, the majority leading to investigation without evidence. The New York Times called the string of clown hoaxes a “contagion.”
Hogan said, “This has become part of our nationwide phenomenon spreading like fire.”
He called attention to social media’s role in quickly spreading the clown rumors.
“Part of the problem is that everybody believes everything they see on the internet and on social media,” said Hogan. “That’s just something we have to deal with with the technology in today’s society have to treat every incident as a true report until deemed otherwise.”
With Halloween less than three weeks away, The Farmville Police captain said the agency plans to put out a press release regarding dress codes and reviewing Virginia state code sections prohibiting use of masks “outside of traditional holiday costumes.”
Code of Virginia section 18.2-422 prohibits people over 16 years old from wearing masks, or any device concealing their identities, in public outside of the exceptions listed.
Recognizing the apparent question of what defines a traditional costume, Hogan said Farmville Police is having conversations with the Commonwealth to specify regulations.
“We don’t don’t want to come out here and start locking people up because they’re trick or treating,” he said. “If someone is taking their kids trick or treating wearing a mask or makeup, that’s one thing. If someone is wearing mask behind a building at 2 a.m., that’s another thing.”
