2016-09-16

The Escambia County Sheriff’s office has confirmed there has been one arrest in the Flomo Klown chaos debacle.

The suspects are: Makayla Smith, 22, and three juveniles. Smith will be charged with making a terroristic threat.

1 of the juveniles had involvement in Florida, ECSO said.

News 5 is working on learning details about the arrest and the minors and we will have more tonight at 5 and 6.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s statement released a strong statement:

This type of crime will not be tolerated in Escambia Co. Alabama and we will ask that all involved parties be punished to the full extent of the law.” -Escambia County Sheriff’s Office

They also said they worked with the FBI on the case.

Remember:

No clowns have been spotted at all, anywhere, on any campus, in any location at all.

Fairhope was on a “soft lockdown” today for 10 minutes from  a tip that went through the Fairhope Police Department. A “soft lockdown” is when doors are locked but students are allowed to roam as they normally would.

How this all started:

There is a Facebook page called Flomo Klown that has made postings with gun emojis and stated the names of various schools. It all started in Flomaton, now it’s focused on Pensacola. The Facebook page uses stock art images of clowns that are typically from horror movies.

Those images and threats understandably scared many people, prompting lockdowns yesterday and the “soft” lockdown in Fairhope today. No schools are presently on lockdown, we will let you know if that changes.

The Facebook page seems to appreciate the attention; they’ve shared the news article we posted yesterday on their page, and then continued making threats.

Baldwin County Administrators Call this a Distraction:

“I’ve received some phone calls in the last few minutes from media. NO Baldwin County Public School is in lockdown. Social media has caused a buzz and a stir in our area. Mr. Tyler sent this out to all parents a minute or so ago. Thank you for helping put this rumor to rest and this distraction aside,” Baldwin County Communication Director Terry Wilhite said.

“This is a quick message to let you know that we’re very aware of the distraction that clowns have caused on social media. Please realize the intent of this individual or group is to cause distraction and disruption. Report any suspicious activity to law enforcement and don’t engage with those causing a disruption. Thank you,” superintendent Eddie Tyler said.

Again, News 5 will have more at 5 p.m. tonight right here on Channel 5.

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