$1,000 in rodent-damaged cash recovered

JACKSON, Mo., Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Workers at a Jackson, Mo., bank said they were able to piece together about $1,000 from a bag full of rodent-shredded cash brought in by a customer.

Branch manager Michelle Johns said the man told workers he had left the bag unzipped inside a wooden desk and later returned to find the cash had been shredded and used as a toilet by rodents, The (Cape Girardeau) Southeast Missourian reported Thursday.

Johns said she and employees Cristal McCoy, Wendy Aufdenberg and Jamie Koch thought the job would be impossible after they dumped the bag out on a bank counter and seeing the extent of the damage to the money. She said federal policy requires both serial numbers for a damaged bill to be replaced.

"With that mess, I didn't know if we could do anything with it," Johns said.

However, Johns said the four women were able to piece together about $1,000, roughly the same total the man believed had been in the bag.

The money has been sent off to the federal mint, which is then expected to send the customer a check for the damaged cash.

"The customer's very grateful," Johns said.