Homeowners’ Financial Troubles Led To Arson

A former St. Augusta man was sentenced Thursday to more than four years in prison after previously pleading guilty to arson and illegally possessing a firearm.Travis Lee Cox, 35, was accused of setting fire to his home at 1680 Forest Glen Circle in January 2014. Investigators learned that Cox and his wife were behind on their automobile, mortgage and utility bill payments and their house was in foreclosure. Fire investigators determined that the fire started in the basement laundry room. They ruled out appliances, the washer and the dryer and any electrical wiring as causes or contributing factors in the fire, according to the court complaint charging Cox.