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Central Point man arrested for scary clown mask pics Central Point police said this photo shows Michael Richard wearing a clown mask near Crater High School. Photo courtesy of Central Point police Thursday Oct 6, 2016 at 10:28 AM Oct 6, 2016 at 4:41 PM Ryan Pfeil Mail Tribune @RyanPfeil CENTRAL POINT — A man who reportedly donned a scary clown mask and posted photos of himself on the grounds of several area schools while holding a sign that said "We are here" was arrested Wednesday on disorderly conduct and trespassing charges. Central Point police arrested Michael Richard, 21, at about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and lodged him in the Jackson County Jail. He later was released on his own recognizance. Police said they got reports Wednesday from school security and administration of an individual in a clown mask posting pictures of himself standing outside North Medford, South Medford, Crater and Eagle Point high schools holding the sign. "It’s absolutely concerning," said Central Point police Capt. David Croft. "It puts a lot of people on alert." The incident occurred as a bizarre wave of reports have surfaced across the country involving creepy clowns. The phenomenon has been fueled by social media, complete with its own tongue-in-cheek hashtag: #ClownLivesMatter.  Thursday morning, Portland police arrested David Dahlman, 55, outside a school after receiving reports he'd been chasing kids while wearing a clown mask and boxing gloves. He was arrested at a mobile home park and charged with second-degree menacing and disorderly conduct. Local police said they are taking the reports of menacing circus acts seriously, saying it's a safety issue for those doing the scaring, too. "The thought behind that is, 'We don’t want you dressing up like a clown and becoming a victim yourself,' " said Medford police Lt. Kerry Curtis. "We just don’t want there to be some high school kid — or whoever it might be — become a victim of assault." On Thursday morning, a post about Richard's arrest on the Central Point Police Department Facebook page generated a thread of almost 700 comments. Some posters said the incident is a prank that has been blown out of proportion. "Give the kid a break. He should have been given a warning," one comment said. "Teenagers get into mischief. I'm sure every single one of us did dumb stuff when we were kids." Richard's sister Marisa told the Mail Tribune he wasn't intending to hurt anyone and that she is bothered by implications that he would.  Others applauded the arrest. "I have a student that came home today totally freaked out about this," a comment said. "Prank or not, these 'clowns' need to be stopped." — Reach reporter Ryan Pfeil at 541-776-4468 or [email protected]. Follow him at www.twitter.com/ryanpfeil. The Associated Press contributed to this story.