This is the first installment of a new feature at M&L called Great Moments in New Carlisle History. The series will focus on some of the amazing, noteworthy, infamous, and heartwarming moments that have occurred in our town. 

5 years ago, as large swaths of the country – including New Carlisle – were mired in a devastating recession, a New Carlisle man named Steve Doak decided to fight back against the banks who were foreclosing on homes.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V86zV5vSUtU]

In driving his SUV into his home and destroying fences, walls, and the interior of the house, Doak managed to attract the attention of not only the bank, but Clark County Sheriff’s deputies as well.

Much like in the 1930s, when bank robbers like John Dillinger were celebrated for their brazen burgling of banks, many people considered Doak a folk hero for refusing to sit back and let his home be repossessed.

While Gene Kelly may have had a point about Doak possibly causing an explosion or fire by hitting a gas main, I still wish he would have been able to keep going. He didn’t even get a chance to use his chainsaw on the house, which is the real tragedy on all of this. I bet Mr. Doak would have been able to make some incredible artwork with that chainsaw.

Next time your house is facing foreclosure, understand that you don’t have to allow it to happen unopposed. Let Steve Doak be an inspiration to us all, and let the legacy of 928 Firwood Dr. live on forever.