Squatters caught after empty liquor bottles found in Oxford apartment

A report of homeless people possibly staying in a vacant apartment in the 100 block of East High Street brought police to the scene shortly past 11 p.m. Aug. 20.

The responding officer walked into the adjacent alley and saw a male later identified as David Desavino, 20, running out of a side door of the apartments.

He was shirtless and carrying a backpack. He was told to stop and he told the officer he had just been hanging out with some friends.

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Desavino said he had made the call to police, but the officer became suspicious when he provided different details to the report than had been relayed by dispatch.

Other officers arrived and another man standing in front of the apartments said he was a friend of Desavino, who was there to give him a ride.

Officers also made contact with residents of an adjacent apartment, who told them they could smell cigarette smoke and hear people in the next apartment.

The landlord was called and he arrived to let police see the vacant apartments. He said they were vacant but tenants were expected to move in soon.

One apartment did have some belongings stacked in a corner, but the landlord said they were supposed to be there, although a box of sports drinks was missing. Also missing were some liquor bottles from the top of the refrigerator.

A second apartment seemed to be untouched, but a third was full of furniture, the light was on and there were empty whiskey bottles around the room.

There were also cigarette ashes and butts on the floor and one of the desks and there were several large holes in the walls, which had not been there when the previous tenant moved out.

Detectives were called to the scene and Desavino and the other man were interviewed.

Desavino’s shoes were taken as evidence and he was charged with burglary and taken to the Butler County Jail. The other man was released.

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