Creepy clown sightings reported in Washington

Three people in recent weeks have reported seeing clowns in wooded areas of Pierce County and in areas of the North Sound as well.

According to the News Tribune, people reported seeing men dressed as creepy clowns near South Hill and Graham.

“They’re probably jumping on the bandwagon of what’s been going on around the country,” sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer told the TNT on Friday.

A KIRO 7 viewer posted on our Facebook page that she had seen a clown at a gas station in Lynnwood.

Another person posted to the KIRO 7 Facebook page that she had seen one on a sidewalk.

"Saw a creepy clown on the sidewalk in Lynwood/Edmonds area last night. Wasn't trying to lure anyone from what I could tell, but still absolutely terrifying. He was on the ground on hands and knees waving to us as we passed by in cars at the street light," said Gabriella Morrow.

Lynnwood police confirmed they had received reports of clown sightings.

The creepy clown sightings began in the Carolinas, where parents were on edge after about a half-dozen reports of the menacing clowns trying to lure children to wooded areas.

A majority of the reports were first made in a smattering of North Carolina cities. None of the reports have been substantiated, according to police, and at least one person there was accused of making up a confrontation with a clown.

Across the nation, creepy clown sightings were made in Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and now Washington state, according to the TNT.

Police across those states have warned that anyone making a false report will be arrested. False reports of sightings strain police resources and unnecessarily spread fear.

The New York Times reports that a dozen people in those states have been arrested for false reports, threats or chasing people.

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office detectives said they are monitoring sightings but are not investigating them unless a crime occurs, as it is “not illegal to be a clown.”