An Allentown employee is facing charges for allegedly planting a noose on her own desk at City Hall.
City of Allentown employee Latarsha Brown, age 42, is facing charges of false reports and tampering with/fabricating physical evidence.
On January 10, 2025, the Allentown Police Department says it was called by City of Allentown employee, Latarsha Brown, who claimed that an item resembling a noose was found on her work desk.
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According to the affidavit, Brown stated that at around 7 a.m., on Jan. 10, she began checking her email, when she found a small item on her desk that she didn’t recognize.
Police say that Brown picked up the item and sent pictures to coworkers, sharing what she found. At around 7:30, police say Brown then sent a six-paragraph email to several people including her bosses and human resources.
Allentown Police crime scene unit officers then responded to Brown’s office and collected the item as evidence, according to the affidavit.
Photo of noose on desk
City of Allentown
On January 14, police say they asked Brown to come down to the station for questioning. During questioning Brown stated that she had picked up the noose and flipped it in her hand, but not ‘much more than that’.
A search warrant was later obtained for Brown’s DNA, and her DNA samples were turned over to the Pennsylvania State Polcie Bethlehem Crime Lab to be analyzed against the evidence.
According to the affidavit, the DNA analysis report indicated that the DNA profile of Latarsha Brown matched samples taken from the noose.
Police say that from January 13 through January 29, nine employees who worked on the same floor as Brown, were interviewed and DNA tested. DNA found on the noose did not match any of the other DNA profiles, except Brown’s, according to police.
The Allentown Police Department is holding a press briefing on the noose investigation and more details are expected to be released following the conference at 12 p.m.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.