IFN Staff

The Statesville Police Department and the FBI are investigating a potential hate crime after a doll was discovered hanging from a street sign in close proximity to a campaign sign for a Statesville city councilwoman on Monday.

SPD officers responded to the intersection of Wilson Lee Boulevard and Fayetteville Avenue about 5:38 p.m. Monday after receiving a report of suspicious activity at that location.

A nearby property owner discovered a doll hanging from a street sign with a rope around its neck, according to an SPD news release. The doll was positioned above an election sign for Doris Allison, the Ward 3 City Council representative who is running for re-election this fall.

The property owner told officers they believed the doll was intentionally placed at this location to target Allison and represented a hate crime, police said. The doll and materials used to suspend it were seized as evidence for processing, according to the news release.

The SPD Criminal Investigations Division, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has launched an active investigation into this incident.

Allison declined to comment on Wednesday.

Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Statesville Police Department at 704-878-3518. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the SPD website – police.statesvillenc.net – using the See Something Say Something contact form.