Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies received a phone call Monday morning about a noose found hanging from a tree at the Sonoma Raceway and are investigating the case as a potential hate crime.
The noose was found by a raceway employee around 8 a.m. Saturday near the site’s old administration building, according to the sheriff’s office.
The rope was weathered and seemed to have been hanging for an extended period of time. The sheriff’s office said a raceway tenant remembered seeing the rope hanging from the tree seven to eight years ago after a model airplane crashed, but it was not tied in a noose back then.
Sheriff’s detectives are looking through video surveillance footage for leads in the case and the FBI is also investigating.
The sheriff’s office said in a news release:
“We understand why this case is disturbing for many people. We take potential hate crimes very seriously and want everyone to feel safe in Sonoma County.”
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