Criminal charges have been dismissed against a Livingston County man who was arrested in October after a “creepy clown” prank on Facebook.
Forty-three-year-old Christopher Hooper was charged with falsely reporting an incident after posting a Photoshopped picture of a clown on a swing, saying he took it in Vitale Park in Avon. Hooper never reported seeing a clown to police, just put it on Facebook and asked people to pass it on. But The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office put extra patrols around schools after getting numerous calls from concerned parents. They didn’t think the Lakeville man’s prank was funny and arrested him.
Sheriff Tom Dougherty says Hooper publically posted his hoax and asked people to pass on the warning. He says that disrupted the community and amounts to a crime. But the public defender moved to dismiss the charges and Village Justice Robert Lemmen agreed.
The public defender moved to dismiss the charges and Village Justice Robert Lemmen agreed. Hooper never reported seeing a clown to police, just put it on Facebook and asked people to pass it on.