BIDDEFORD — A one-armed Hollis man who is accused of startling neighbors by going for a stroll wearing a clown mask and brandishing a machete says it was supposed to be a prank.

Corey Berry, 31, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to criminal threatening and weapons charges in a Biddeford courtroom.

Corey Berry, 31, of Hollis was charged with criminal threatening after police said he was found strolling down a street wearing a clown mask with a machete taped to his amputated arm. Photo courtesy Maine State Police via Associated Press

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Police say Berry was intoxicated but cooperative when they arrested him last month. They say he had a machete taped to the stump of his missing arm, and was wearing a mask to copy previous clown sightings.

Police say Berry was seen in Hollis and then fled into the woods. He was taken into custody when he re-emerged.