Fox affiliate KDVR in Denver has dismissed allegations made by anchor Heidi Hemmat that she was denied additional security after receiving death threats. Hemmat’s claims, the station’s general manager told Fox News, were “unequivocally false.”
Writing at her website, Hemmat says a story she did that led to a criminal case and a consumer fraud investigation against a Colorado man left him angry–and threatening to kill her. The threats were initially considered serious enough KDVR paid for security at Hemmat’s home.
I filed reports with police stations, got a restraining order, the guy even ended up in an ankle bracelet–but my sense of safety was gone–and the way I viewed my job–forever changed. Unfortunately, my boss didn’t see it that way, she did pay for a few days of security at my home, undercover Denver police officers, but when the weekend came, she expressed concern about how much it was costing and downplayed the threat “he’s not going to do anything to you,” she said, “if he was going to kill you he would have done it by now.” And from that point forward, there was no more station provided security.
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KDVR general manager Joan Barrett called Hemmat’s accusations “unequivocally false” in a statement to FoxNews.com late Sunday. “We took Heidi’s concerns very seriously and provided her with support, security and an attorney, for which Heidi expressed her appreciation,” Barrett said.
Hemmat says the stress and fear led her to leave KDVR–and TV news:
My physical and mental health were unraveling. As soon as that ratings period ended I took an unpaid leave of absence, and in August I asked to be let out of my contract. My boss sent out a note to the staff that failed to acknowledge my 15 years of service at KDVR, the 6 Emmy awards I had won for the station or the fact that I had literally put my life on the line. It just said “Heidi is no longer an employee of FOX 31.”