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Creepy clown sighting: Ohio woman calls police after being chased

<p>A Warren County, Ohio woman reported being chased by a clown. She called Franklin police after she got home to her Skokiaan Drive apartment, police said Wednesday. Story: http://bit.ly/2d7wSYo</p>
The Gallatin County sheriff is "consulting" the FBI and Department of Homeland Security on its recent "creepy clown" threat, which frightened students and parents enough to cut attendance in half on Tuesday.
<p>Clowns are arguably the scariest kind of children's entertainer, which makes this "stranger danger" story out of South Carolina especially eerie.</p><p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/us/creepy-clown-sightings-in-south-carolina-cause-a-frenzy.html" target="_blank">Multiple people</a> have reported clowns lurking around a Greenville apartment complex. <a href="http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/32852558/residents-anxious-after-clown-sightings-letters-received-at-greenville-co-apartments?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">Some kids</a> say people dressed like clowns have tried to coax them into the nearby woods.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/man-arrested-for-kidnapping-and-murder-of-5-year-old-girl/">Family Friend Arrested For Kidnapping And Murder Of 5-Year-Old Girl</a></b></p><p>"There were clowns running in the woods telling the kids that they had candy, and they would give it to them if they came there," a child <a href="http://wspa.com/2016/08/29/children-claim-clowns-tried-to-lure-them-to-woods-near-greenville-apartments/" target="_blank">told WSPA</a>.</p><p>Some say the clowns have also shown kids <a href="http://wlos.com/news/local/police-investigating-after-reports-of-clowns-attempting-to-lure-children-into-the-woods" target="_blank">large amounts of money</a> to get them to go deeper into the woods.</p><p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/31/us/creepy-clown-sightings-in-south-carolina-cause-a-frenzy.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reports local law enforcement has investigated claims that some residents "may have fired shots in the direction of the wooded area."</p><p>A spokesman for the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/are-the-clown-sightings-in-south-carolina-real/498059/" target="_blank">Greenville County Sheriff's Office</a> told The Atlantic clown reports in the area appear to have spread to a different apartment complex about 20 minutes away. </p><p>He told the outlet the national attention the story has gained could inspire people to dress up as clowns to "<a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/are-the-clown-sightings-in-south-carolina-real/498059/" target="_blank">prank the police</a>" and make it harder for them to investigate the claims.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/in-many-states-police-search-drug-records-without-warrants/">In Many States, Your Prescription Drug History Isn't All That Private</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/activists-call-out-university-researchers-for-killing-dogs/">Animal Activists Condemn University For Killing Dogs Used In Research</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/bill-inspired-by-brock-turner-case-is-about-to-become-law/">Bill Inspired By Brock Turner Case Is One Step Closer To Becoming Law</a></li></ul>
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FRANKLIN, Ohio -- It sounds like something out of a nightmare, but apparently it's real.

An Ohio woman reported being chased by a clown. She called Franklin police after she got home to her apartment, police said Wednesday.

"I just got home from work and got out of my car -- I have heard so much about this, I didn't know this was actually true -- but I just got chased by a clown up to the door of my apartment," the caller told police.

The clown made no threats -- just ran at her, the caller said.

The clown was wearing white and red clothes and a plastic mask, the caller said.

Police said they would like to discourage people from frightening strangers.

"This is childish and dangerous for everyone involved," Franklin Police Chief Russ Whitman said.

Reports of creepy clowns have been popping up across the country recently. In Gallatin County, Kentucky, the sheriff said he consulted with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security after a clown threat kept half of students home from county schools Tuesday.

The Gallatin County Sheriff's Department announced Wednesday via Facebook that they believed they had identified the person responsible for sending the school threats, but the investigation was ongoing.