Parents' Clown Stunt Leads to Child's Removal From Home

News of a "creepy clown" arrest isn't so unusual these days. But this one in Menasha, Wis., involves possible child neglect charges and the removal of a 4-year-old girl from her home. Police caught two men ages 20 and 29 wearing clown costumes about 4am Friday after getting reports of clowns harassing drivers at intersections, reports Fox 11 News. They also stopped a 26-year-old woman who was allegedly driving the pair around. It turns out that she and the older man had left their young girl home alone for a few hours while they were out clowning, say police.

Cops arrested the couple and have recommended charges of child neglect. "The child was actually placed outside of the home by Winnebago County Social Services," says the local police chief, per wbay.com. The 20-year-old hasn't been charged with anything. As sightings continue to be reported around the US—Atlas Obscura even has an interactive map here— CNN reports that the craze has spread to the UK and Australia as well. Meanwhile, a writer at the Guardian recounts how this year's "epidemic" started in South Carolina. (No, you can't shoot the clowns, advise police in Utah.)