University of Illinois Student Charged With Hate Crime After Noose Found Hanging in Dorm Elevator: Officials

A University of Illinois student has been charged with a hate crime after a noose was found hanging in an elevator at a residence hall, school officials said Tuesday. Andrew M. Smith, a 19-year-old student at the Urbana-Champaign campus, was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and a felony count of committing a hate crime. The university said that at about 1 a.m. on Sunday, staff members of the residence building Allen Hall reported the discovery of a rope tied into a noose inside an elevator....