ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An Allentown employee is facing charges after authorities alleged she placed a noose on her own desk, sparking an investigation into what many called a hate crime.
LaTarsha Brown, 42, was charged Monday with making false reports and tampering with or fabricating evidence, according to Lehigh County court documents.
"Every employee agreed — except for Ms. Brown."Allentown Police Capt. Steve Milkovits, at a news conference at City Hall
Brown, who also is an Allentown School Board member, two months ago reported finding a noose at her desk on the third floor of City Hall.
Allentown police reviewed surveillance footage and access records from the time Brown left work Jan. 9 and returned Jan. 10; and officers interviewed all employees who were in the office during that period and requested DNA samples, Capt. Steve Milkovits said Monday at a news conference at City Hall.
"Every employee agreed — except for Ms. Brown," he said.
A judge on Jan. 24 approved a search warrant for police to collect her DNA.
The Pennsylvania State Police Forensic DNA Division on March 10 issued a report that said Brown's DNA matched DNA collected from the noose, Milkovits said.
Its analysis found Brown's DNA profile matched samples obtained from the outer surfaces of the noose and the inner knotted portions, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Authorities also collected DNA samples from nine other city employees who work on the third floor and who could have put the item on Brown's desk, the affidavit says.
Their DNA profiles were not found on the noose, authorities said.
Brown did not immediately respond to a message from LehighValleyNews.com seeking comment.
Authorities released a photo of the noose, which appears to be just a few inches long and resting atop a closed laptop on Brown's desk.
'At a breaking point'
Brown called police about 7:30 a.m. Jan. 10 to report “an item resembling a noose" on her desk, court documents state.
She told police she didn’t immediately recognize the item, so she picked it up and took a picture to use in an online search.
Authorities were unable to find such a search in her search history, according to court documents.
Brown had emailed her bosses Jan. 9 — the day before the noose was found — to request a mediation meeting to resolve her complaints of discrimination against a coworker, court documents state.
After reporting the noose, she sent another email telling city officials she was “at a breaking point,” according to court records.
The FBI joined the investigation Jan. 13 — the same day dozens protested outside City Hall — and an agent spoke to Brown later that week, when she declined to provide a DNA sample.
Allentown Communications Manager Genesis Ortega said last week that Mayor Matt Tuerk’s administration was working “to ensure a thorough and fair investigative process” into the reported noose.
Brown works in the city’s Department of Community and Economic Development.
She also is an elected member of Allentown School Board.
Her term on the school board ends this year; she did not file a nomination petition prior to last week's deadline to seek another term.
Under the state crimes code, tampering with evidence is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Making false reports is a third-degree misdemeanor punishable up to a year in prison and a $2,500 fine.
This is a developing report and will be updated.
