**Chief Roca:** “The purpose of this press conference is to provide an update regarding the noose investigation. I want to take a moment to thank the following agencies who assisted in this case: Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Lab, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Allentown Police Department conducted a thorough investigation, including interviews of persons, analysis of evidence, and consultation with the District Attorney’s Office of Lehigh County. As a result of the subsequent investigation, LaTarsha Brown was charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, a misdemeanor of the second degree, and false reports to law enforcement, a misdemeanor of the third degree.
As in every criminal case, the fact that a warrant has been issued or a complaint has been filed is merely an accusation. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law. I’m now going to ask Captain Milkovits to provide a summation of this investigation.”
**Captain Milkovits:** “Good afternoon, everybody. Captain Milkovits, Criminal Investigations Division. On January 10, 2025, at approximately 7:11 a.m., Allentown City employee LaTarsha Brown arrived at her office on the third floor of City Hall. At approximately 7:38 a.m., Ms. Brown notified the Allentown Police Department that she discovered what she believed to be a noose on her desk upon arriving at work.
Officers assigned to the Community Outreach Unit, Crime Scene Identification Unit, and Criminal Investigations Unit responded, initiating a criminal investigation to identify the individual responsible for placing the noose on Ms. Brown’s desk. During the investigation, video surveillance and building access control records were reviewed to identify city employees present on the third floor of City Hall between the time Ms. Brown left for work on the afternoon of January 9, 2025, and her arrival on the morning of January 10.
Those employees were interviewed. Each was asked if they would provide a buckle swab for DNA testing if needed. Every employee agreed, except for Ms. Brown. Initially cooperative, Ms. Brown later requested that the investigation be discontinued. The noose was submitted to the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Lab for DNA testing on January 14, 2025. On January 24, 2025, a search warrant was approved by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office for Ms. Brown’s DNA, and a DNA sample was obtained that same day. On January 27, 2025, Ms. Brown’s buckle swab was submitted to the Bethlehem Regional Crime Lab of the Pennsylvania State Police for comparison with DNA profiles recovered from the noose.
On March 10, 2025, the Forensic DNA Division of the Pennsylvania State Police issued a written report indicating that Ms. Brown’s DNA matched the DNA profile obtained from the swabs of both the outer surface and inner knotted portion of the noose after it was taken apart. No other person’s DNA profiles were found on the evidentiary items involved in this investigation. As a result of this investigation, earlier today, Detective Harold Baines of the Allentown Police Department filed charges against LaTarsha Brown at District Court 31-2-01 for the criminal offenses outlined earlier by Chief Roca. Thank you.”