Arkansas officer in hot water for wearing clown suit in Internet photo

Days after multiple clown sightings were reported near White Hall, one of the city's school resource officers faces disciplinary action after, police say, he posed in a clown costume for a photo that made its way onto the Internet.

The photo comes on the heels of reports from multiple states in which people reported seeing scary clowns. Reports included clowns supposedly carrying weapons or trying to lure children into the woods or vehicles.

Mickey Buffkin, an investigator with the White Hall Police Department, said officer Dustin Summers made a "bad judgment call" when he posed for the photo Sept. 20. Summers is the resource officer for elementary schools in the White Hall School District, according to the department's website.

The photo "was just something him and his friends were doing at home," Buffkin said. After the photo made it onto social media, the Police Department opened an internal investigation.

Summers has not been connected to any of the clown sightings in the area, Buffkin said.

Buffkin said he couldn't comment about what consequences Summers faces, citing the ongoing investigation, but said Summers is still an officer at the department.

"He is an outstanding officer," Buffkin said, adding that the photo was a combination of poor decision-making and bad timing.

White Hall Mayor Noel Foster said there had been two or three clown sightings earlier this month in Pine Bluff near its border with White Hall. He also said Summers is not connected to any of the sightings.

Pine Bluff police responded to a report of a clown sighting on the night of Sept. 18 behind the Tractor Supply store at 6309 Sheridan Road. A police spokesman said the clown reportedly had a machete or another object in his hand.

North Little Rock police spokesman Sgt. Brian Dedrick said in an email that his department received "a couple" of unsubstantiated calls about clowns last week.

The White Hall Police Department apologized Tuesday for any concern caused by the Internet post that, it says, included the photo of Summers. The department said it "takes this matter seriously and holds its officers to a high standard of conduct."

State Desk on 09/28/2016

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