Police Arrest Circus Clown On Burglary, Forgery Charges

Sheriff’s deputies who arrested a clown wanted on felony warrants didn’t wait for him to change his clothes. But they did wait till he left his circus audience.

“We didn’t want to ruin the kids’ day,” detective Tom Bowman said.

Samuel M. Richardson, aka “Piggy,” was taken from a Tuesday afternoon performance of Circus Gatti at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds. At the county jail, the 20-year-old Seattle man traded his costume for jail togs.

“I thought it was a joke,” said jail Capt. Tom McKeown, who was surprised to see a man in clown makeup, a bulky costume and 18-inch shoes in the jail’s booking area. “I thought the deputies were pulling a fast one on me.”

The jail staff took pictures of Richardson with and without makeup “to kind of preserve the moment.” Richardson didn’t object, McKeown said.

King County officials notified Walla Walla County sheriff’s authorities that Richardson was wanted on felony warrants from Seattle for four counts of forgery and a single count of second-degree burglary. He was arrested about an hour later.

Richardson was scheduled to be taken Thursday to Seattle for a court appearance.