OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) - An employee of the Oriental Trading Company has been fired after a small noose was allegedly placed on the seat of an African American employee’s chair.
Steve Mendlik, President and CEO of the Oriental Trading Company, released the following statement:
We are saddened and angry that a member of our Oriental Trading family was recently targeted in a racial incident. We absolutely do not tolerate hate or racism in our company. After learning about this cowardly act, we immediately launched an internal investigation and filed a report with local law enforcement. After our internal investigation, we identified the individual responsible and they are no longer employed by Oriental Trading.
The alleged incident happened on June 18. The victim has apparently been an employee for four years.
The Sarpy County Sheriff’s Office says they're investigating and working to identify a suspect. They say it could be looked at as a terroristic threat and be deemed a hate crime, but that decision would be up to the Sarpy County Attorney's Office.
