Claremore Residents See Increase In Prank Occurrences

Pranksters are making their way around Claremore. Police said they expect pranks around Halloween, but officers said they are warning the pranksters to think twice this year. 

With the clown scare, police said it's not a good idea to be fooling around in someone's yard you don't know.

People all around Claremore said their cars and yards are getting egged, toilet papered and even something called forked, where dozens of plastic forks are stuck in people's lawns.

The streets around Claremore are clean, but if you look closely, you'll find bits and pieces of late night mischief.

"I heard like a 'pop pop pop,' you know like eggs hit you real hard like that and I came out and checked what it was," said homeowner Kimberly Guinn. 

An egg shell is still in Guinn's yard. She says the egg didn't hit her house but it did hit something else. 

"Then I looked at my car and noticed there were drippings all over my car," Guinn said. 

Claremore Deputy Police Chief Charles Downum said parents should talk to their children about the repercussions and dangers of getting caught pulling certain pranks.

"With the threats from the clowns and the stir that caused, this is not the year to get out there and commit these pranks," Downum warned. 

He said when people are on edge you can't anticipate how they'll react to a strange person being in their yard late at night.

And for people caught egging, they could be charged with vandalism.

"Egging is different," he said. "It will take the paint off a car. If it gets on your house it can be destructive and it's really messy to clean up."

When it comes to toilet papering a house or sticking forks in people's yards, that's not considered malicious. But it doesn't make it ok. You could be charged with trespassing.

Guinn said if she catches someone, she has her own way of dealing with it.

"Probably whoop 'em. Natural reaction for me is to whoop 'em," Guinn said. 

Police said if your property is damaged by a prank, report it to police.