Charge Dismissed In Western NY Creepy Clown Prank Case

LIVONIA, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York court has dismissed charges against a man who posted a fake picture of a creepy clown in a park on social media and warned people to keep their kids out of the area.

Livingston County Sheriff Thomas Dougherty says the post on 43-year-old Christopher Hooper's Facebook page in October added to the public hysteria over clown sightings nationally at the time. The sheriff's office says the Facebook post was shared almost 200 times before it was deleted.

Hooper was charged in October with falsely reporting an incident after he admitted posting the picture of a local park with a clown photoshopped in.

The Livingston County District Attorney's Office says the misdemeanor charge was dismissed Tuesday evening in town court in Livonia, 23 miles south of Rochester.