Rope Tied As Noose Found Hanging At Sonoma Raceway: Sheriff

SONOMA, CA — A rope tied like a noose was found hanging from a tree at Sonoma Raceway, and the incident is being investigated by the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and the FBI as a possible hate crime.

An employee found the rope at 8 a.m. Saturday, hanging from a tree branch near the old administration building on the Raceway property at 29355 Arnold Dr. in Sonoma. The rope, which was hanging about 14 feet above the ground, was cut down by Raceway employees and handed over to sheriff's deputies Monday morning, sheriff's Sgt. Juan Valencia said.

"The Sheriff’s Office began investigating the incident as a possible hate crime," Valencia said.

The quarter-inch thick rope appeared to be weathered from being outside for an extended period, the sergeant said.

"A Raceway tenant remembered seeing the rope hanging from the tree about 7 or 8 years ago after crashing a model airplane," Valencia said. "It was not tied in a noose at that time."

Violent Crimes detectives with the Sheriff's Office are looking through video surveillance footage for leads on a suspect.

"This is all the information we have right now," Valencia said Tuesday. "We are continuing to investigate this incident with the FBI and are committed to conducting a thorough investigation and trying to find the person(s) involved in this incident."

The sergeant added: "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."

Anyone with information related to the investigation may call the sheriff's office at 707-565-2650.

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