Deputies: Boy admits creepy clown story was just tall tale

Deltona coulrophobics can breathe a sigh of relief — the 11year-old boy who reported he was chased by a creepy clown Friday the 13th admitted he lied, according to the Volusia County Sheriff ’s Office.

The Sheriff ’s Office announced Thursday that after “multiple follow-ups” by deputies, the child who reported a detailed account of a scary brush with a clown in Deltona admitted it was a tall tale.

“… the Deltona clown incident didn’t happen,” the agency said in a tweet. “Breathe a little easier.”

The Sheriff’s Office released a summary of the boy’s report on social media Tuesday as a “warning to evil clowns and anyone considering creepy clown activity.”

“We will not be there to save you if your target defends him/ herself, and you may face other penalties,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote.

On Monday, the boy told deputies he was biking along Howland Boulevard near Pine Ridge High School when a clown jumped out from behind a light pole and some bushes, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The 11-year-old said the clown tried to grab and chase him — but the boy fought off the bigring bozo with a metal selfie stick, according to the Sheriff ’s Office.

To the horror of anyone who’s seen or read Steven King’s the Sheriff’s Office said the boy reported the clown then slipped off into the bushes and out of sight. The boy said he then told a crossing guard and teachers.

Investigators continued to follow up on the freaky account, checking back to the area where the imaginative 11-year-old said the blue-haired clown with a rainbow-painted face appeared. Deputies were unable to find the clown — or the red-foam nose the boy described.

Sheriff ’s Office spokesman Andrew Gant said the boy won’t face legal punishment for making the false report. “We were able to handle this one without taking any criminal action against an 11-year-old kid,” he said. “I can’t speak to any other discipline, but I think he understands he made a mistake that he shouldn’t make again.”