Krystal Chrysler rewards woman who returns $11,000 in cash

Patty Wesner and state Trooper Kevin Saunders pose with some of the money that Wesner collected and guarded after it fell out of the back of a Brink’s truck onto a rural roadway. Wesner said this week that Saunders told her, “I can’t believe you called us.”

By Thom Randall

As of Thursday, March 14, 2013 -4:28 p.m.

WARRENSBURG — It was an quirky incident that drew national attention due to a woman’s remarkable honesty — which prompted a Warrensburg enterprise to reward her actions.

Patty Wesner of Cossayuna was driving on her way to work Feb. 26 down a desolate rural roadway, when a bag of $11,000 in $1 bills flew out from the back of an armored truck and into the roadway in front of her vehicle.

She stopped, collected the bills, and called 911. The trooper responding to the scene called it an “unbelievable” act of honesty.

Photo provided

Krystal Chrysler employees (left to right): Frank Toti, Andy Studler and Bob Olden recently reached out to help a Cossayuna woman days after she picked up and returned $11,000 in cash that fell from the back of a Brink’s truck — an action that prompted national attention. To reward her honesty, the Krystal staff fixed and washed her car, as well as buying her lunch.

Frank Toti, General Manager at Krystal Chrysler, saw the news report on television and was impressed. That newscast described Wesner as less than wealthy — and she could have easily used the cash — as she used a bungee cord to keep the hatchback door on her 2002 Toyota Sequoia to keep it from flying opening unexpectedly.

This situation impressed Toti, he said this week, recalling how he sought to help her out.

“When I first heard the story I thought how she is quite a role model,” he said March 14. “Then I heard she had an older high-mileage vehicle and a bungee cord holding her car door closed, and I thought, we’d like to do something about it.”

After work that day, Krystal Parts Manager Bob Olden and Service Manager Andy Studler drove to her house in Cossayuna — not a short trip — to determine what was needed to fix the door latch.

March 11, Wesner brought the car in for repair, and the Krystal employees including Mike Poutre not only fixed up her car, but Toti bought her lunch and filled up her tank with gasoline. Krystal staffers even washed the vehicle.

“I thought it was appropriate to do something for her,” Toti said. “Her actions made us all proud to be Americans.”

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