After Campus Police found a 10-inch toilet paper noose early morning on Nov. 8, officers turned the noose over to News Services Director Keith Nichols.
Since then, the noose has made the rounds, from television news spots, to discussion forums, before eventually landing in the evidence box of Campus Police.
Last Friday, at a meeting that the African-American Student Advisory Council hosted, school officials inlcuding Chancellor James Oblinger and Campus Police Chief Tom Younce defended the handling of the noose.
According to Nichols, Campus Police gave him the noose the day it was found before he gave it to Jose Picart, the vice provost for diversity and African-American affairs, that evening.
Nichols did not return phone calls Sunday or Monday.
Picart said he gave the noose back to the News Services staff that Friday, Nov. 9, who turned it back over to Campus Police the following Monday.
But despite the noose being absent for much of the early investigation, Younce said Campus Police only needed a photo of it.
“We can present a picture of it if it’s needed in court,” Younce said. “We tried to find a balance in terms of how important it was for the community to see it.”
The noose could not offer any forensic evidence, Younce said, because of the material of which the toilet paper is made.
The evidence is now under watch at Campus Police headquarters, and according to Capt. Jon Barnwell, cannot be taken out because of the pending investigation.
“We immediately assigned five investigators to the case,” Younce said. “We’ve interviewed 60 people and spent 105 man hours on the case — that’s the most we’ve spent in all but one case.”
Youce referred to a murder suicide case in 2002 that took even more time to investigate.
The noose case has been handed to Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby.
“When the campus turns an investigation over to the district attorney, it’s a very serious matter,” Oblinger said.
Though punishments at the University level for hate crimes or acts such as the noose incident are unclear, Oblinger said there will be definite ramifications.
“The act is disruptive of our safe environment,” he said. “It will not be tolerated by me or anybody at this University.”