A young girl carries knife to school to fend off clowns in Athens.
A fearful 11-year-old Georgia girl, who took a knife to school, told officers she needed the weapon to fend off clowns, says Police.
The Athens Banner-Herald reports that the girl was arrested on Friday at Burney-Harris-Lyons Middle School in Athens amid reports and social media posts about clowns frightening children in Georgia and other states.
An Athens-Clarke County police report states that the girl said she needed the knife to protect her and her family because she had heard the stories about clowns jumping out of the woods and attacking children.
They released the girl to her mother on a charge of possession of a weapon on school grounds, says Police.
In neighboring Alabama, law enforcement officials are warning that people involved in a rash of creepy clown hoaxes across the state could be prosecuted.