By Associated Press - Friday, October 7, 2016

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Authorities say a Lincoln high school student caused a panic by peering into a classroom wearing a clown mask.

The Lincoln Journal Star (https://bit.ly/2dzMVuF ) reports that seven students connected to the Thursday prank at Lincoln Southwest High School have been cited with disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor.

“They probably thought this was no big deal,” Lincoln Police Capt. Don Scheinost said. “What some people think is a joke isn’t always a joke to everybody.”

A video taken of the masked student circulated on social media, disturbing other students and disrupting classes throughout the day. Scheinost said the incident also contributed to the hysteria about clowns’ presence in the city and country in the weeks before Halloween.

Scheinost said none of the seven juveniles was arrested, but their cases have been referred to the Lancaster County Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Authorities say police have been called to look into numerous clown sightings that often involve weapons, though officials say none of those reports has been substantiated.

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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star, https://www.journalstar.com

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