Lexington has a clown sighting, and this clown had a friend

This clown had a bear with him, or at least a person dressed as a bear, some kids told the Lexington Police Monday evening.

Lexington Police responded to a suspicious person report around 6 p.m. at the Park North Apartments.

A group of children between 10 and 12-years-old told police that they saw a silver or gold SUV (with no license plates) with two people in it, one dressed as a clown, the other as a bear, Lexington police spokesman Cameron Mortenson said.

One of the juveniles told investigators that the clown got out of the car and tried to speak to them. Another child said no one got out of the car or spoke to the them.

Investigators interviewed the kids Monday evening and again today. Although the inconsistencies in the stories remained, police want all residents of Lexington to “be alert and watchful for suspicious persons,” take pictures and call the authorities about suspicious activities.

To report a suspicious person or vehicle, people are asked to call the Lexington Police Department at 803-359- 6260 or if it is an emergency, to call 911.

The sighting is the first reported in the Midlands. In recent weeks, there are have been several clown sightings reported in Greenville County. In those instances, children told authorities that someone dressed as a clown tried to get children to follow them into nearby wooded areas.

None of those sightings was confirmed but, last week, Greenville police said they take the reports seriously and will arrest the person responsible for scaring kids.

Clown sightings have also been reported in North Carolina in recent days. A man told Greensboro Police he saw a scary-looking clown near an apartment complex and chased it with a machete. No clown was found when police searched the area.

This story was originally published September 6, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Lexington has a clown sighting, and this clown had a friend."