Recent claims concerning scary clowns frightening people that have been heard in other parts of the country and have now been reported in Coffee, Grundy and Hamilton Counties.

The Coffee County Sheriff's Department received a call about a possible incident in Summitville Monday night concerning a clown cutting an individual. Deputies responded to the area and conducted a search for the clown, but no clown was found

Sheriff department officials say that the department is checking the report out. The spokesperson said, "We check all reports to prove or disprove such claims." Coffee County Sheriff Steve Graves says, "People in Tennessee carry guns and somebody jumping out and scarring someone is subject to getting shot." He also noted that if a person is found to be scaring people or hurting someone they will be arrested. It is also important to note that filing a false report about such alleged incidents can result in the person being prosecuted.

The Grundy County Sheriff's Department received two calls Monday night about someone dressed up as a clown in the Tracy City area. Chattanooga Police also warned their residents on Tuesday.

The National Crime Prevention Council offer the following tips for parents:

• Know where your children are at all times
• Point out safe places for children to play, safe roads & paths to take and safe places to go if there's trouble.
• Encourage children to play with others. Remember there is safety in numbers.
• Don't talk to, take anything, or go anywhere with strangers
• Always go to a trusted adult when needing help - i.e. teacher, police officer, SRO, school bus driver, parent, older siblings or neighbor.
• Report suspicious activity to school & police department

Source:

Partner Station WMSR