‘Clown’ tries kicking in door to vacant law office, arrested by Alton police

Photo: John Badman | The Telegraph Photo: John Badman | The Telegraph Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close ‘Clown’ tries kicking in door to vacant law office, arrested by Alton police 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

ALTON — Police arrested a man well-known to them Friday morning, undaunted by his appearance in a clown costume.

The suspect, Ronald M. Singleton, 54 — a longtime Alton resident but with court records listing a Dupo address — allegedly entered a vacant house in the 2500 block of Washington Avenue, a witness told The Telegraph.

Once inside, Singleton put on a colorful red, white, blue and yellow clown costume, came outside and began kicking the door of a second empty building that formerly housed a law office, the witness said. He also carried a complementing, multi-colored umbrella.

The witness, an employee of a nearby business, called police and they arrested Singleton at about 9:30 a.m. about a half block south on Washington Avenue, still dressed in the costume. Singleton had left the umbrella behind on the steps of the second building, which is just north of James H. Killion Park at Salu.

Pfc. Emily Hejna, public information officer at the Alton Police Department, said Friday morning it was too early to say what charges Singleton might face in the incident.

People were frightened several years ago during a spate of incidents across the country where individuals would pop up along roads or in wooded areas dressed as clowns, with authorities warning the public they could endanger themselves by wearing the costumes.

Earlier this week, the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office on Tuesday charged Singleton with criminal damage to government-supported property, less than $500 — Class 4 felony — and a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass to vehicles. The felony charge accuses Singleton of damaging the tint on a window in Alton City Jail, with a judge setting bond of $25,000.

Last month, Singleton was cited with pedestrian under the influence of alcohol or drugs on Aug. 17 and 19; and with littering on Aug. 18, as part of 11 total offenses in 2018, not counting Friday’s incident.

Reach Linda N. Weller at 618-208-6450 or on Twitter @Linda_Weller