Only Madelynn Budrow was able to see past Pennywise’s unhappy history and give him the affection and acceptance she felt he deserved.
Pennywise terrorizes Twisp Town Hall before being brought to justice
Pennywise’s booking photo from a prior offense.
By Don Nelson
The gruesome scenario was right out of an episode of “CSI.”
Yellow crime scene streamers barred intruders from contaminating the area. The “vic,” his body outlined in white tape, sprawled face down on the floor of Twisp Police Chief Paul Budrow’s office, arms and legs akimbo. Evidence markers identified where a gun and a shell casing were found nearby. Plastic evidence-preserving bags covered the victim’s hands.
It didn’t take Budrow long to complete his investigation and identify a “perp.” It helped that she readily confessed, claiming self-defense and fear for her personal safety. Budrow bought it, and no charges will be filed, he said.
The chief had a prior acquaintance with the victim. In fact, the clown — and we say that descriptively, not judgmentally — had lived in Budrow’s home. And the chief’s wife, Aimee Budrow, was responsible for that.
Deputy Sheriff Wright made no effort to conceal her part in the clown’s demise.
Aimee bought the doll — identified as Pennywise and based on a really creepy Stephen King character in the movie It — at Hank’s Harvest Foods as a Halloween treat at the request of the Budrows’ 3-year-old daughter, Madelynn. The youngster seemed not at all bothered by the clown’s scary visage — but she was concerned that it needed to be tucked in tight because, she said, “it gets out of bed at night and walks around,” the chief related.
Pennywise got all the way out of the house that night.
Budrow took it to work and placed it on a town hall employee’s desk as a prank, and from there it migrated to various other spots in the building until it landed on the desk of Okanogan County Deputy Sheriff Laura Wright, who works out of a small space there.
What happened next is a little murky, but Pennywise was next seen in Budrow’s office looking entirely done in.
County Coroner Dave Rodriguez also dropped by to render his conclusions and suggested that the medical examiner be called, the chief said.
The identity of the clown’s attacker was never in doubt.
“Laura [Wright] said she did it because the clown scared her,” Budrow said.
Scarier still is that — being a Stephen King creation — it probably will rise from the demised and keep scaring people.
Everyone, that is, except Madelynn.
