By NICK WERNER
nwerner@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — Holly Hahn wrote to Blight Watch to say that the property next door looked like it had been struck by a tornado.

It sounded like hyperbole, a figure of speech not meant to be taken literally.

Turns out, she really meant it.

And she was really right.

“In my kitchen window, that’s what I look at when I wash dishes,” she said, adding that she washes a lot of bottles since she became a mother three months ago.

The property at 1418 W. 14th was once a mobile home with an addition on the back. It is now mostly a pile of wood, concrete, insulation and sheet metal, with a few walls still standing.

The home is owned by Bobby Walker, who has a Batesville address and could not be reached for comment.

According to Hahn and other neighbors, Walker or somebody working for Walker started to demolish the home in September after the city condemned it.

After a few days of punching the home with a backhoe tractor the one-man demolition squad left and never came back, leaving behind a mess that was worse than when he started.

“Now I just wish he would have left it alone,” Hahn said. “It looked better boarded up.”

The property is now home to three stray cats, Hahn said, and has become a magnet for metal scavengers.

Building Commissioner Jerry Friend said he was aware of the property and not very happy with the owner.

“We’re working on it,” Friend said. “We’ll get it cleaned up one way or another.”

z This story is part of a weekly series looking at blighted properties around Muncie. To suggest a property for the series, e-mail the address and a brief description to blightwatch@muncie.gannett.com or mail it to The Star Press, Local News Desk, P.0. Box 2408, Muncie, Ind. 47307.