Scared of Creepy Clowns? Bangor Knows All About Creepy Clowns

When it comes to creepy clowns, other cities have nothing on Bangor.

After all, it was right here in Bangor (a.k.a, Derry) where Stephen King imagined Pennywise living in the city's underground drainage system and luring children to their watery deaths.

So, in the wake of some local inquiries and several reports of creepy clowns being spotted elsewhere around the country, the Bangor Police Department offered its take on the recent sightings and some advice for those who are a little "creeped out" by the whole thing.

If you see a clown?

"Walk away," suggests Bangor Police Sgt. Tim Cotton, author of the department's popular (and always entertaining) Facebook page.

What about calling police if you see a clown?

"Unfortunately, being a clown is not illegal. No need to call."

You can read the entire Facebook post below.

On Tuesday, Orono Police reported clown sightings in that town, and here have been reports of creepy clowns in many states including South Carolina, New York, Alabama, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, Nevada and Ohio. There also have been arrests.

For instance, in Flomation, Ala., a woman was charged with making a terroristic threat after threats were made against high school students there via a Facebook account under the name Flomo Klowns.

But the clowns are not the only ones being arrested. In Georgia, two people were charged with making false reports to police after they said they saw clowns trying to lure children into a van. A North Carolina man was also arrested for filing a false report after he told police he chased away a clown who had been looking through his window.

And there have been cases of mistaken identity. In Virginia, motorists reported seeing a "creepy clown" in a car waving to other vehicles. That turned out to be a young boy with autism wearing his Halloween costume.

Back in Bangor, there have been some social media threads about clown sightings in the city and some recently created Facebook accounts (some that have since been deleted) that have become topics of conversation on social media.

The good news? Experts expect the reports of killer clowns to subside after Halloween.

As for King? Well, the foremost expert on scary clowns wants everyone to take a deep breath.