Republished October 05, 2016 - 5:31 AM
Original Publication Date October 04, 2016 - 12:10 PM
Halifax police are investigating after a photo posted on social media appeared to show a clown standing on a sidewalk outside a local high school.
Const. Dianne Woodworth said students at Halifax West High School advised staff of the photo posted to Instagram Tuesday morning.
Woodworth said police went to the school, but nothing suspicious was found.
An investigator was looking into it further, she said.
"There are no threats or anything criminal in nature, but we're still investigating," said Woodworth.
A photo that appears to show a clown standing outside Halifax West was posted to an Instagram account called Halifax Clowns, whose biography states: "We stalking you so keep your eyes open. We ain't killing we just creeping."
Also Tuesday, police in Truro, N.S., said they are aware of threats made in Facebook postings involving "clowns" against two schools in the town, located roughly 95 kilometres north of Halifax.
Police say the matter is being investigated, but there is nothing to indicate the threats against Truro Junior High School and Cobequid Educational Centre are legitimate.
There have been repeated sightings of creepy clowns across North America in recent months, with most being hoaxes or social media-fuelled pranks.
Teenagers who were photographed in August wearing clown masks and wielding a chain allegedly chased home kids from a park in Gatineau, Que. Gatineau police declined to charge the teens as no crime was committed.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016