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Student Arrested, Expelled After Clown Attack Hoax

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - A Facebook account associated with a clown threatened to harm students at Poudre High School last September and now a student allegedly responsible has been arrested.

The day after the threat 530 students stayed home, well above the daily average.

"This further dissemination caused panic throughout our community and student population. Poudre High School, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, and Fort Collins Police Services were inundated with calls of concern about the threatening message," Fort Collins Police Services said in a statement.

The underage student has been charged with interference and expelled from school.

"School violence is not a joking matter," said Sgt. Laura Lunsford, who supervises the FCPS School Resource Officer program. "This wasn't a harmless prank. It caused a lot of disruption and fear, and we will not tolerate that in our community."

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