On Monday, September 15, at 5:38 pm, the Statesville Police Department (SPD) responded to a report of suspicious activity at the intersection of Wilson Lee Boulevard and Fayetteville Avenue.
Responding officers contacted the owner of the property adjacent to the intersection. The property owner reported discovering a doll hanging from a street sign with a rope around its neck. The doll was positioned above an election sign for Doris Allison, the Ward 3 City Council representative.
The property owner told officers they believed the doll was intentionally placed at this location to target Allison and represented a hate crime. The doll and materials used to suspend it were seized as evidence for processing.
The SPD Criminal Investigations Division, in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has launched an active investigation into this incident.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Statesville Police Department at 704-878-3518.