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MPR News Staff

Bobo, stay home! Farmington chief offers clown a jail cell lunch

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Updated 5 p.m., Oct. 5 | Posted 12:07 p.m., Oct. 4

Cops don't want to feed into the scary-clown-roaming-town hysteria, but it's pretty clear they're tired of it. Law enforcement in several Minnesota towns took to social media Tuesday to tell people to knock it off.

The police chief in Farmington, for instance, used Facebook to tell Bobo the Clown to stay out of schools.

"Yesterday we were inundated with calls in reference to an individual who has identified himself as Bobo the Friendly Clown and has suggested he was spotted in Rambling River Park and will visit students at Dodge and Boeckman schools around lunchtime today," Chief Brian Lindquist wrote Tuesday on the department's Facebook page.

He noted that alleged clowns around the country have been arrested the past few days after making terroristic threats and disrupting public school functions. Farmington, he said, had investigated the Bobo complaints "and continue to do so finding no credible threat at this time."

Finally, Lindquist took his message straight to Bobo.

"I'm sorry, but you are not welcome at any of the schools for a delicious nutritious lunch. You are however, more than welcome to have lunch with me and my officers," he wrote, adding, "It won't be as tasty and the conversation probably a little too mature for you; but I have a very scary jail cell I think you would appreciate seeing. Looking forward to making your acquaintance."

Farmington cops weren't the only Minnesota authorities responding to the clown menace.

Shakopee police say they've received reports of a video circulating regarding a "creepy clown" chasing a vehicle. "We have confirmed that this video was made by two Shakopee students and posted on Snapchat as a joke for Halloween season."

The Anoka County Sheriff's Office also had to snuff out reports of clown mayhem.

"Despite social media claims and a lot of 'middle school gossip' please be assured that Andover and Anoka schools are not on lockdown because of "creepy clowns" and we have had no reports of "creepy clowns" in the Andover and Anoka area," the office wrote on Facebook, adding, "any social media reports to the contrary are incorrect and any information being shared is speculative rumor that is completely false."

Halloween is 27 days away.