It’s the first time I’ve been a victim of one of those “fill his inbox” email campaigns.

You know… the kind where those talk radio hosts disagree with a politician or something… and tell their listeners “let’s fill his email inbox to show him we’re upset.”

In this case involving me in particular, I did a story about six weeks ago (as I recall time wise anyway) on local wedding and event planner Caroline LaRocca Hammond.

Roanoke police charged her with two counts related to credit card fraud; one a misdemeanor; the other a felony.

Yesterday I got an email (I believe from her) explaining the charges had been dropped.

We of course were focused yesterday on fallen Virginia Tech police officer Deriek Crouse’s funeral; and with good reason.

It was his day of remembrance.

I came in this morning and checked LaRocca Hammond’s case on-line in the state’s on-line court reporting system.

It showed both charges had been nolle prossed.

We made plans to put it in the 6 o’clock show.

LaRocca Hammond agreed to a telephone interview where I thought she was very forthcoming, kind, and respectful.

She said that a former employee was actually behind the fraud.  I asked for more details but she declined to elaborate.

In all today I’ve probably gotten more than one dozen emails from LaRocca Hammond’s friends and former clients; most of them testimonials about her work.

One friend of LaRocca Hammond wrote the following below:

“I look forward to the wrap up story and would very much like to see an apology from the station. No where in the initial story did it say innocent until proven guilty and the undertone was unbelievable as a former journalist.

With pleasure and gratitude,

(I left the name out)”

I always laugh when “former journalists” send me these types of snarky emails; and I responded to her in kind.

The way she ended her email with “with pleasure and gratitude” after slamming me as a journalist also cracked me up a little bit.

Another LaRocca Hammond friend wrote this below:

“Scott, I am writing to express my frustration with your recent story on my friend Caroline Hammond.  Your lack of research and misrepresentation of the FACTS… Shame on you for that.  In the future I suggest that you and WSLS focus on real news stories, as you have already alienated many viewers with your lack of professionalism.”

These types of “lack of research” and “misrepresentation” emails crack me up too.

I responded by asking the emailer to outline *exactly* where I didn’t do any research or misrepresented any facts.

LaRocca Hammond’s charges, before they were dropped, were part of the public record.  In fact, I went over and looked at her arrest warrants before doing the original story.

I provided LaRocca Hammond’s camp several offers to respond to the charges but as I recall they chose not to.

But again, LaRocca Hammond was very nice and respectful on the phone; as were most of her friends that emailed me.

As for the other few who weren’t—- at least it provided me with a good blog topic today!