Black man finds stuffed monkey hanging from noose along Oregon highway, cops say

A stuffed monkey was found hanging from a noose in Oregon, police said.

The Oregon State Police are investigating the incident as a bias crime after a stuffed toy monkey was found hanging by a noose from a roadway sign, police said.

“Preliminary investigation revealed an unknown person(s) hung a stuffed animal by a noose from a roadway sign,” OSP told McClatchy News. “The Oregon State Police is seeking suspects. The investigation is ongoing.”

News outlets reported Steven Marshall, a black man from Kelso, Washington, spotted the monkey while driving down the highway on Friday. He said the monkey was about 3 miles south of Rainier, according to KOIN 6.

“Something like that should not be in the public view, it’s just aggravating and irritating people so I felt like I had to do something,” Marshall told KOIN.

Marshall’s son, Darrell Bell, posted the incident on Facebook in hopes that showing the public would “help educate others,” according to KATU.

“It is offensive,” Bell said in his post. “Imagine being the black man that found it and then realize how offensive that might have been.”

Oregon State Police said troopers are looking for suspects, and the investigation is ongoing.

This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Black man finds stuffed monkey hanging from noose along Oregon highway, cops say."