Cincinnati Police District 1 detectives are asking for the public's help identifying a suspect wanted in connection with a theft offense, according to a post from the department. The department says it is attempting to identify the suspect and is directing anyone with information to Detective Dews.
The appeal, posted to X by the Cincinnati Police Department on Sunday, does not specify the date, location, or items involved in the theft, leaving those details as open questions for investigators to fill in as the case develops. The post simply states that D3 is investigating a theft offense and is attempting to identify the suspect, asking the public to forward any information to Detective Dews at 513-352-6401. Police also listed the Crime Stoppers tip line, 513-352-3040, as an alternative reporting option.
Notably, the graphic attached to the department's post identifies the investigating unit as District 1, even though the accompanying text references D3 — a discrepancy the department's post itself does not clarify. Cincinnati has issued similar public appeals in recent weeks tied to District 3, the department's largest patrol district, which absorbed West Side territory after the city dissolved District 5 in a late-2023 restructuring, according to prior Hoodline reporting. That expansion brought District 3's coverage to 18 neighborhoods spanning 20 square miles.
How Tips Reach Detectives
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Detective Dews directly rather than relying on social media, since the department has repeatedly warned that its page is not monitored continuously. Residents can also route information through Greater Cincinnati / N. Kentucky Crime Stoppers, which accepts anonymous tips and offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest or felony indictment.
For non-emergencies, the City of Cincinnati also provides dispatch and customer service through its 311 line and the 513-765-1212 number, along with 24-hour front-desk reporting at district stations. The department has separately noted that residents should call 911 for emergencies rather than wait on a social media response.
What Ohio Law Says About Theft Charges
The severity of any eventual charge in this case would hinge on the value of what was taken, since Ohio law tiers theft offenses by dollar amount. Under Section 2913.02 of the Ohio Revised Code, theft of property valued under $1,000 is classified as petty theft, a first-degree misdemeanor carrying up to 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000, per the Meade Law Group.
Property valued between $1,000 and $7,500 escalates the offense to a fifth-degree felony punishable by six to 12 months in prison and fines up to $2,500, according to the Botnick Law Firm. Theft of property valued between $7,500 and $150,000, or theft of specific items like motor vehicles, constitutes grand theft, a fourth-degree felony carrying six to 18 months in prison, as outlined by Patituce & Associates. None of those thresholds have been confirmed in this case, since the department's post does not specify a dollar value for whatever was stolen.
Part of a Broader Pattern
This appeal follows a string of similar public requests from Cincinnati police districts in recent weeks, including cases involving a truck tied to a Camp Washington theft, a Price Hill man also sought over Northside break-ins, and two men accused of swiping a car in West Price Hill. Those cases, along with a Home Depot parking lot theft near Glenway, reflect a citywide uptick in property crime; per WVXU, property crime across Cincinnati rose 7.9% in a recent reporting period compared to the year before, driven in part by a 46% surge in thefts from vehicles.
Residents who don't want to call in a tip can also file certain property and theft reports through the Cincinnati Police Department's Online Crime Reporting system, which lets victims submit incident reports without visiting a station in person. District investigative units, like the one following up on this case, are also responsible for crime scene processing and public suspect identification appeals district-wide.
For now, the suspect's identity, the exact circumstances of the theft, and the value of what was taken remain unknown. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Dews at 513-352-6401 or submit a tip through Crime Stoppers.
