Pedobear panic spreads south to Tulsa, Oklahoma

Pedobear visa card

But police forced to admit that Comic Con mascot was not a sex offender

BY Sophie Taylor LAST UPDATED AT 16:42 ON Thu 16 Sep 2010

Is panic over Pedobear sweeping America? Last week, California police mistakenly claimed that Pedobear, the cartoon character used by internet pranksters to flag up web content they consider pedophilic, was being used by pedophiles to attract young children.

Now terror over Pedobear has spread to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where police have issued a warning to local parents in the run-up to this month's state fair.

A Fox23 News report warned that parents should beware anyone at the fair dressed "as this cute and cuddly bear [because] underneath this costume could be a child offender".

Meanwhile Sgt John Phillips, from the Tulsa Police Department 'Exploitation' section, rejected the idea that Pedobear is simply an internet meme. Phillips told Fox23 News: "Some are claiming it's an internet hoax, well it's not an internet hoax because someone has taken it one step further. These are pedophiles, these are people who prey on our children."

The report also wrongly claimed that a person dressed in the suit at Comic Con in San Diego – whom the California police singled out earlier this week - was "a registered sex offender who had previously assaulted a child dressed in this suit".

The news channel's website has since issued an update on the story, saying that Tulsa police have admitted they made a mistake: "Today, Tulsa Police tell Fox23 News, they made a mistake and the man in the costume is not a registered sex offender.

The statement adds: "However, police say it is disturbing that someone would dress in a costume that makes fun of pedophiles and would give out free candy to children." · 

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