- April 18, 2024
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There have been at least two reports of graffiti on the vacant building that used to be the home of The Other Place (Photo by Emily Blackwood).
There have been at least two reports of graffiti on the vacant building that used to be the home of The Other Place (Photo by Emily Blackwood).
The dumpsters behind We Are Yoga were recently tagged (Photo by Emily Blackwood).
So were the dumpsters behind Dunn' s Attic (Photo by Emily Blackwood).
The owner of Lotus Yoga and Fitness said they were tagged back in 2015 (Courtesy photo)
OBPD is looking for a white male suspect (Courtesy photo).
The suspect was seen on surveillance camera tagging the Halifax Humane Society Thrift Store (Courtesy photo).
Abdul Alkorek had just painted over the graffiti he found on the back of his Mobil gas station off A1A when the taggers struck again.
"We painted over it, and they painted more," he said. Alkorek has owned his Ormond Beach business for over 20 years and has never seen the graffiti get this bad. In the same night, someone tagged not only was his store but the vacant building behind him that used to house The Other Place and the neighboring Family Dollar.
According to the Ormond Beach Police Department, there have been 12 reported cases since Jan. 26.
"This never happens here," Alkorek said. "Usually only in Daytona, but there's more riff raff passing through here now."
Similar tags were used in all 12 cases, leading the OBPD to believe it's the work of the same suspect or possibly multiple suspects. There have been reports of similar tags in Holly Hill and Daytona Beach.
"I think there may have been a small tag before, but this is totally different. It's a surprise to me because it's a good community. You just don’t expect this kind of thing to happen."
— Wes Dunn, owner of Dunn's Attic
Police are asking the public to help them identify a white male subject who was caught on a security camera tagging the rear of the Halifax Humane Society Thrift Store Feb. 7. OBPD was unable to comment on how much property damage the suspect caused.
"We've had quite a bit in the last month," said Chief Jesse Godfrey. "It's not a common occurrence. This individual has gotten us pretty good."
Though graffiti reports have increased in the past month, some local business owners say this isn't anything new. Debbie Yarbrough said the front windows of her yoga studio, Lotus Yoga and Fitness, were tagged with similar graffiti in 2015. "It was the same symbol I have seen spray painted lately," she said, "and they did it on every window on the front of my studio."
Yarbrough didn't report the incident to OBPD because she was able to remove the graffiti herself, though it did stain the white lettering in her window screen prints.
"It was around November of 2015, so this has been happening a while," she said. "It made me more sad than anything that someone would deface my business."
Anyone who may have information is asked to contact the Ormond Beach Police at 677-0731.
Anyone who wishes to remain anonymous can call Crimestoppers at 277-TIPS or toll-free at 1-888-277-TIPS. Those who provide information to Crimestoppers can qualify for a reward of up to $1,000.
