ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Allentown employee who was criminally charged after falsely claiming someone left a noose on her work desk has been admitted into a first-time offender program.

LaTarsha Brown, who worked for the city’s Community and Economic Development Department, appeared Thursday before Lehigh County Judge Anna-Kristie M. Marks, who ordered she remain in the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition Program for two years, the maximum time permitted.

She was also ordered to pay $1,985 to Pennsylvania State Police for DNA testing as well as court costs.

If Brown completes the program and pays the fines and costs, charges of making a false report and tampering with evidence will be expunged.

While ARD is not a criminal conviction, “it is only available to people who accept responsibility for the conduct that led to the criminal charges,” District Attorney Gavin Holihan said.

In order to qualify, Brown had to admit to the following facts in the racially charged case:

Shortly after 7 a.m. on Jan. 10, Brown arrived at her office on the third floor of Allentown City Hall. About a half hour later, Brown called Allentown police to report that she spotted an item on her desk that she believed to be a small noose.

Brown said she had touched the end of the noose and had researched on Google to try and determine what the item was.

All employees who were in the area of City Hall when the noose was found had agreed to submit to DNA testing. Brown was asked to submit hers for testing since she said she had touched the item. She initially cooperated with police, but then refused to voluntarily offer a DNA sample.

Brown later asked that the investigation end and told authorities she would no longer cooperate.

On Jan. 24, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office approved a search warrant for Brown’s DNA and a sample was obtained that same day. Brown’s swab was submitted to Pennsylvania State Police for comparison with the DNA recovered from the noose.

On March 10, the Pennsylvania State Police Forensic DNA Division reported it had matched Brown’s DNA to the sample obtained from the noose and said no other DNA profiles were found on the noose.

Brown’s story about the noose prompted a protest outside City Hall by activists who labeled the incident a hate crime. The story erupted as the city faced other public allegations of discrimination in City Hall.

In 2023, the Allentown NAACP penned an open letter accusing Mayor Matt Tuerk and other city leaders of failing to address discrimination among employees, and alleged at least 10 have faced racial discrimination. Tuerk has said the city takes the allegations seriously and denied that the administration has ignored them.

The status of Brown’s employment could not immediately be determined; she had remained a city employee after charges were filed. She also is a member of the Allentown School Board.

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