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Iowa County Freaked Out by Mystery 'Men in Black'

They just stand around on local roadways in black trenchcoats—then disappear
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 21, 2016 11:42 AM CDT
Iowa County Freaked Out by Mystery 'Men in Black'
Spooky.   (Shutterstock)

Law enforcement officials in Muscatine County, Iowa, are scratching their heads over reports streaming in about a group of men in black trenchcoats who've been spotted along the side of the road, in the road, and even in people's yards, KWQC reports. The so-called "men in black" seen mostly along Highway 22 are usually just standing around, though they'll occasionally step into the street as cars drive by, per the AP. "My son has experienced this and it's no joke," one local woman posted on the Facebook page for the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office. “It was really a frightening experience to him."

The sheriff's office notes it's received "several" MIB reports and needs the public's help in figuring out what's going on; it doesn't consider it a criminal issue at the moment, but a "public safety one." And while some commenters are making the requisite jokes about the mystery meanderers—"Sounds like a job for Scooby and the gang!" one posted on Facebook—others are indeed worried that something bad could go down. "In a right to carry state, with the kinds of things happening [nowadays], doing something this foolish if it's a prank is going to lead to someone being hurt," another commenter adds. (More Iowa stories.)

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