Now the question I have, is how did Debbie Doright know who the mother was and where she lived. Did the mother give Debbie her name and address during the store encounter (If so, she was stupid for not just making something up (I'm Nancy Pelosi and live in Washington, DC.) or did Debbie get her license plate number and track her down that way. Secondly, the response when Debbie came to the door with the Sherriff should have been, "Bird? Woodpecker? Hardware store? I vaguely remember a few weeks ago having my friends parekeet in a hardware store and some crazy women who fancied herself an wildlife expert thought it was some endangered woodpecker. Then stuck with that story if it went to court.
The mother was foolish enough to call the Virgina Dept. of Fish & Wildlife to report the incident. The article doesn't say whether she called to inquire about the officer's comments or simply to vent, but that seems to be how they found her to issue the fine.