He has the hair, sideburns and shades of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll — and the troublemakers of one Columbus, Ohio neighborhood all shook up.
His name is Billy Cash, known on the streets of Clintonville in north-central Columbus simply as “Elvis” or the “Columbus King”. A former bounty hunter, he patrols the alleys and main roads for would-be thieves, graffiti and the artists who paint it, and other nuisances causing trouble to the neighborhood.
Any such offender he comes across doesn’t receive a serenade.
“They ask me, ‘Who are you?’” Cash told WBNS of alleged criminals he encounters. “And I go, ‘I’m your worst nightmare. Get out of the car.’”
His efforts arguably have proven beneficial, according to both anecdotes and statistics. Karl Boettcher, a fellow Clintonville resident, said that “the graffiti has gone down, and [there’s been] less trouble, generally” in the time that Cash has lived and operated in the area. Cash also claims that he helped clean up an apartment building notorious for drug activity and prostitution by repeatedly alerting the police. The town has seen a decrease in crime, especially in property crimes like vandalism. And according to AreaVibes, a service that measures the livability of neighborhoods throughout the country, the crime index in Clintonville is 35 percent lower than the Columbus average.
While Cash may not take on an Elvis persona when he’s on the job, there’s always time for something after hours. According to WBNS, when he isn’t taking a bite out of crime, Clintonville residents might just catch him performing at local karaoke bars.
