The letter came in with the familiar red stamp indicating it was from an inmate. It had already been opened, presumably by the guards, on the back was scrawled a plea, "Please save my life."

Now I've been around the block a few times and have heard and seen a lot of these pleas over the years. Most are worthless cries for attention, but some truly do hold some merit. I won't know the answer to this question either way, because the true point of this blog involves the power of my position, as a journalist.

I try to take all attempts to contact me seriously. Afterall, if someone takes the time, I'll give them due respect. So I reopened the letter and read the plea for help.

The letter was from a man who was from Blackstone and somehow ended up in jail in Roanoke County (for something he claims he didn't do). The charges, I would later find out, included abduction. Good news for him is that I'm a firm believer in innocence until proven guilty; so I kept reading.

Turns out this inmate had been in jail some three months, with no bond hearing and a family of four stranded, with no bread winner, waiting day in and day out for some sort of resolution.

The man gave me his public defender's number and pleaded with me to help. All he wanted was due process; just a chance to make his case for bond so he could try to gain temporary freedom, for his family, while he fought the charges.

So I called the lawyer and gave him my journalist best, which as expected, was blocked and dogded with the "attorney/client privledge" arguement.

"No problem. I'll get written permission from this gentleman and I'll be back in touch," I said.

A day later I sent off a note to this prisoner asking for the required permission to speak about him to his lawyer.

A few weeks after that, I got another note that showered me with praise. While this guy was still in jail, he had been approached by his lawyer three times since my phone call; three times more than the three months before.

While I don't know how things turned out with this guy, I do know that just one phone call helped a desperate man who had reached out to me with no where else to go. To him, that's all that mattered. All this guy wanted was due process and my one phone call gave him that hope.

It is quite a feeling to read someone's written note thanking you beyond anything he could express in that note. I could feel it. He truly believed I had made the wheels of justice move for him and his family and he was deeply grateful.

It is really a great feeling to know you moved someone's mountain, but in the same sense, it's a little scary knowing that mountains you can move.

Dave Tate

ABC 13 Reporter