Noose, Threats at Wisconsin College Found to be Hoax
Authorities in Kenosha County, Wis., are recommending criminal charges be filed against a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Parkside student who confessed to what initially appeared to be hate crimes.
Khalilah N. Ford of Louisville, Ky., 鈥渃onfessed Friday evening when presented with evidence pointing to her involvement,鈥� Sgt. Bill Beth of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Office said in a statement released Monday afternoon.
The young woman鈥檚 confession came two days after a string of rubber bands 鈥� apparently intended to appear as a noose 鈥� was found in a common area of a dormitory on the university campus in Kenosha.
Not long thereafter, a second noose fashioned out of plastic was found with a handwritten note left on the dormitory door of a young black woman, authorities said. Following those discoveries, a handful of flyers with racial epithets and a 鈥渉it list鈥� of intended victims turned up on the campus.
鈥淓vidence led detectives to suspect one of the people on the list,鈥� Beth said Monday. 鈥淲hen confronted with the evidence, the suspect confessed that she had made the 鈥榟it list鈥� because she was not satisfied with the initial response from a residence assistant鈥� who was shown the rubber bands that were said by some to look like a noose.
Sheriff鈥檚 detectives will recommend that the district attorney鈥檚 office file misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and obstructing an officer, Beth said. 鈥淭he university has told us she鈥檚 on emergency suspension; she鈥檚 off campus.鈥�
University officials initially took the threats seriously, and ordered increased security at the dormitory and on the campus.
鈥淚t is good to find out that there was not an actual safety threat to our students,鈥� university Chancellor Deborah Ford said.
Parkside Police Chief James Heller said his officers immediately 鈥渟hifted from finding the perpetrator to protecting the perpetrator鈥� as she was being 鈥渞emoved from the campus.鈥� It wasn鈥檛 clear if the student will be expelled.
