COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A house that has been an eyesore for the Linden area for a number of years has been demolished.
The owner, who was kept out of the home by padlocks was excited to see it gone.
"This is one less home that people have to look at that was in such a sad state of repair, fire damage," said Catriona Dempster.
The story winds back years.
When Dempster bought the duplex at 2426 and 2428 Cleveland Avenue in 2005, she intended to make it an investment rental property.
She lost her business in some type of scheme, her son became ill, she went into bankruptcy and lost the home to foreclosure.
After the bank took over the home, it was set on fire during a string of arson fires in the Linden area.
The bank pulled out of it and Dempster was technically still the owner at that point -- but the locks had been changed.
"It was just terrible. I couldn't get help from anywhere," Dempster said.
That's when the Great Linden Development Corporation got involved and found out there was $8,000 left in an escrow account after the fire, which would pay for demolition.
This week the home was destroyed.
"There's a story behind every property," said Donna Hicho, the director of the Linden group. "That's the challenge of what we're dealing with, properties, it’s not like can just go in and knock them down within a day."
This one however, was.
For additional information, stay with nbc4i.com and NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail us at stories@nbc4i.com.
NBC 4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video
MORE: NBC 4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC 4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement