Graffiti reading “David Was Here” and “Davio Was Here” has turned up on homes and businesses across Norwood, and police are asking anyone with security footage or information to come forward. The tags, some scrawled in black marker and others in red spray paint, stretched from residential blocks near Allison and Mills avenues to commercial storefronts on Montgomery Road.
According to the Norwood Police Department, Norwood, Ohio, the vandalism affected a stretch running from Allison Avenue and Mills Avenue to Section Avenue and Elm Avenue, with additional tagging discovered on Montgomery Road near Solar Tint and Aramark. Investigators say one round of marker graffiti reading “David Was Here” appeared on July 24, while more graffiti applied with red spray paint turned up over the weekend. Optical character recognition review of the markings has also picked up a variant reading “David M. Was Here,” though it remains unclear whether one person or several are responsible for the different tags.
Detective Leading the Case Wants Your Camera Footage
Norwood police have asked residents and workers in the affected areas to check their security cameras for anything that might help identify the person or people behind the tagging. The department is requesting public assistance with the investigation and has directed anyone with information or video to contact Detective Brad Chapman, the lead investigator on the case, at [email protected].
Norwood's police headquarters sits at 4701 Montgomery Road, according to information from the City of Norwood — the same commercial corridor where some of the tagging was found near Solar Tint and Aramark. That stretch of Montgomery Road mixes industrial and commercial businesses with residential cross streets including Allison, Mills, Section, and Elm avenues, per Cincy Rents. Residents who want to report suspicious activity outside the ongoing investigation can also route non-emergency tips through Hamilton County Communications or file a report in person at the police station.
What Charges Could Follow, and Why the Dollar Amount Matters
Whoever is ultimately identified could face a range of outcomes under Ohio law depending on how much damage investigators tally. Defacing property without permission is generally treated as criminal mischief under Ohio Revised Code § 2909.07, a misdemeanor unless the loss or risk of harm is significant, according to Luftman, Heck & Associates. But if damage to a business property reaches $1,000 or more, the offense can escalate to felony vandalism under Ohio Revised Code § 2909.05, a fifth-degree felony, according to FindLaw.
That distinction matters here because the tagging spanned both quiet residential side streets and commercial stretches of Montgomery Road, meaning the eventual charges will likely hinge on the total financial damage tallied across every location. Criminal cases originating in Norwood typically move through Hamilton County courts in downtown Cincinnati for statutory offenses, while minor municipal infractions can be handled through Norwood's own mayor's court.
A Small Enclave With an Outsized Property Crime Problem
Norwood is a 3.14-square-mile city entirely surrounded by Cincinnati, home to roughly 19,000 residents and its own independent police department, according to Wikipedia. Despite its size, the city recorded 598 property crime incidents in 2023 — among the highest municipal totals in Hamilton County outside Cincinnati itself, per FBI data cited by Data Commons. Property destruction and vandalism was the single most common crime category countywide in 2022, with Hamilton County logging 5,951 such incidents that year, according to Map AI.
For now, investigators have not said whether the David, Davio, and David M. tags are the work of one person or connected at all. Anyone with relevant footage or tips is asked to reach Detective Chapman directly rather than wait for the case to widen further.
