Men face prison time for wearing masks in Va. theater

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP/WAVY) - Two men face prison time for wearing a clown mask in a Virginia Beach theater.

Blake Newtown,19, pleaded guilty to wearing a mask in public during a Tuesday court date. He will be sentenced in June.

Twenty-year-old Jamar K. Washington Jr. also pleaded guilty. He faces five years in prison and a $2,500 fine.

Prosecutors say Washington and Newton caused a panic when they walked into the theater on Oct. 8, 2012 wearing clown masks.

The incident occurred just months after a gunman killed 12 people and injured 58 others at a theater in Colorado.

Washington told police the men weren't aware of the Colorado massacre. He said they had worn the masks at malls and on buses without any problems.