GI Hater: Trent Allen Fox
On July 4, 2010, Trent Allen Fox set fire to the American Legion hall, a 501c19 “Veteran Organization.” It occurred just eight months after Section 4712 of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act made it a hate crime to target people or property “on account of their military service.” Independence Day is a major military holiday.
The blaze tore through priceless military artifacts and family heirlooms as it grew to a three alarm fire requiring “forty-two firefighters from five departments” to extinguish. Computer records destroyed at the Legion fire also complicated efforts at locating local veterans graves.
Although an early suspect in the investigation, Fox roamed free for five months before being arrested on December 17, 2010, on two state arson laws; ORS 164.325 and 164.315. Although the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms assisted the Albany Police Department in its investigation, federal law does not appear to have been applied in Fox’s case.
We may never know whether the Soldiers Amendment, 18 U.S.C. § 1389, was even considered during the investigative phase because, according to an APD clerk, records were “purged from our system following [Oregon Revised Statutes] record retention guidelines.” The Linn County District Attorney’s Office pointed out that the prosecuting attorney, Heidi Sternhagen, was no longer in the DAs office. As with APD, no records were retained.
On March 1, 2011, a psychiatric evaluation was requested by his lawyer “because Mr. Fox has a history of mental illness.” If he were found criminally insane, he would have been remanded to the state hospital. It seems he was found mentally competent because, when the evaluation was complete, a pretrial hearing was cancelled and rescheduled so that Fox could enter a plea and be sentenced.
At the April 12, 2011 sentencing hearing, the first degree charge was dropped and Fox was sentenced to two years, with credit for time served (about four months). The Legion Post Commander remarked
We want to know the why of the matter. We’re trying to move on, but this put a burden on us and the community.
The Linn County Courthouse records contain only limited information since Fox was never compelled to comment as to his motive. Soldiers, veterans, and military families may never know “the why of the matter” because their part of the story is being ignored and erased.
