Kat Sanderson-Cox was opening the mail at the American Legion Post 10 as she does regularly, as the post’s finance officer. But one check caught her attention and not because it was unusually large.
In fact, it was for only $8.20.
What makes the check so special is that it is the first restitution payment made by Trent Allen Fox, who on the 4th of July, 2010, set a fire that destroyed the post’s former building at 1215 Pacific Blvd.
The fire caused more than $1.57 million in damage and for a while, it seemed, caused the post to teeter on the verge of closure. In 2011 Fox was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution.
“We have thought about framing the check, but decided we will make a color copy and get the satisfaction of cashing it,” Sanderson-Cox said.