A Wisconsin man is facing charges of mayhem and causing reckless injury after authorities say he and his friends participated in a “ritualistic memorial” involving amputation, blood drinking and rapping clowns.
Police say the incident unfolded on August 27 when 24-year-old Jonathan Scrap invited friends over to his Suamico, Wisc. home in order to commemorate the passing one year earlier of a fellow “Juggalo” — a name used for die-hard fans of the Detroit-based rap group Insane Clown Posse (ICP) — Green Bay’s WBAY reported on Monday this week.
One of the attendees, 27-year-old Shelby Neuens, told police that the friends had discussed cult rituals shortly before she volunteered to let Mr. Scrap drink her blood, the local ABC affiliate reported.
“Jon had taken a machete and made an approximate one inch laceration on her right side forearm. She was bleeding profusely… Jon filled up a shot glass with her blood and drank her blood,” according to a criminal complaint seen by the station.
Afterwards the woman said she volunteered to have her pinky amputated as part of the ritual, WBAY reported. Mr. Scrap then took the machete once more and sliced the finger off “all the way to the palm,” the station said.
“Jon then placed the finger in his freezer where he said he would cook it and eat it later,” the complaint continued. “The group then attempted to stop the bleeding by using a car cigarette lighter which failed. They then used a blowtorch.”
Ms. Neuens showed her wounds later that evening to her boyfriend, whose mother then insisted on seeking medical attention. Police were eventually notified after staffers at Saint Mary’s Hospital in Green Bay told police they believed the patient was wounded as a result of cult activity.
The woman did not want to press charges since her participation was voluntary, WBAY reported.
Authorities arrested Mr. Schrap after taking statements from the woman, as well as a second man who was questioned but released without charges.
A preliminary hearing for Mr. Schrap has been scheduled for September 21, the station reported. The entire ritual was recorded on video, Ms. Neuens told police.
As of Monday, authorities were still attempting to interview another person who allegedly participated in the ritual, Preston Hyde, also known as ICP-inspired rapper “Bloody Ruckus.” A neighbor said he saw Mr. Hyde flee from his house when police arrived to question him, WBAY reported.
ICP and especially its fans’ antics have landed the rap group in hot water before, and its members previously sued the FBI after a 2011 law enforcement report designated Juggalos as gang members. The group said earlier this summer that it wants Juggalos to descend on Washington, D.C. for a weekend next September in order to hold a demonstration on the National Mall.
“They call the Juggalo World a movement, right? Well, let’s move!” said Joe Bruce, better known as ICP’s “Violent J,” at a July press conference. “We are going to explain to the world who the [expletive] we really are.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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