Cops: Girl Brings Knife to School to Fend Off Clowns

In what's either a prudent safety measure or an excellent example of media-induced hysteria, an 11-year-old girl in Georgia was arrested Friday for allegedly bringing a knife to school to protect her from clowns, the Athens Banner-Herald reports. "She said that the reason she had the knife was for protection for her and her family because she had heard the stories about clowns jumping out of the woods and attacking children," a police report states. She has been charged with possession of a weapon on school grounds. The school district says it hasn't talked to students about creepy clowns. "We have not specifically addressed clowns, except in individual cases where students expressed concerns directly to teachers," a spokesperson says.

Stories of clowns luring kids into the woods have led to increased police patrols, school lock downs, and more in Georgia, South Carolina, and elsewhere around the South in recent weeks. The stories are so far unsubstantiated. (More weird crimes stories.)