Digging for dirt....

[allenb1963]

Ok...first of all this probably isn't the proper forum but what the hey....I gotta start somewhere.

I'll try to keep this short and to the point. A dear friend of mine runs a non-profit animal rescue service. I've known the woman for more than 25 years and believe me, she could be a poster child for the Humane Society. This past Monday a woman drove almost 600 MILES to accuse my friend of "dog-napping" a Maltese. Even though my friend is able to PROVE that the animal that she rescued came from a local shelter 3 months before this woman "lost" her dog, the woman will not accept the fact that her dog is not here and has begun to smear my friend via the local media. Is there a way for me to run a "background check" on this person to see if there is any history of mental unstability or arrests? Google has provided me with a small amount of info, just enough to get me started provided I could find the proper database to search. I've got a few friends in the law enforcement field that I can get assistance from, but I really hate to call in those favors if there is an alternative method for me to get this information. Any help that you geniuses out there can throw my way would be greatly appreciated. If you're bashful about posting, by all means feel free to PM me.

[phishphreek]

I've seen some of these "background checks" on the web. Dunno if they are legit or not...

http://www.***************gateway.com/
What offices, and etc to contact. I'm going to have to play around a bit on this one...

If you looking for more of the criminal background check route... have a look at
http://www.***************gateway.co...INAL%20HISTORY

NetDetective:
http://www.netdetective.tv/investigate_software.html

http://www.background-checks-systems.com/ is an example of a pay service.

I don't know if those will be of use to you... but worth a shot.

I'll get back to you about that PM I sent you...

[:-\]

Screw websites and crap like that.. if she's gone after your friend, tell your friend to get an attorney who has the right to ask the police for an official background check... and since she telling lies about him/her, your friend has the right to file a lawsuit in civil court for improper presentment of character or whatever that law is called...

Or you can just use some of those links phish dude just posted...

[phishphreek]

:-\ has a good point. You might (if you haven't already) have her contact a lawyer and the authorities. They might not disclose this info to you... but what can you do with this info anyway? You can give it to them... but they can get the same info at the snap of a finger.

[allenb1963]

Originally posted here by :-\
Screw websites and crap like that.. if she's gone after your friend, tell your friend to get an attorney who has the right to ask the police for an official background check... and since she telling lies about him/her, your friend has the right to file a lawsuit in civil court for improper presentment of character or whatever that law is called...

Or you can just use some of those links phish dude just posted...

Already taken all of those actions....this thing REEKS of a libel suit waiting to happen. The problem is that a reputable establishment will be damaged when the local paper comes out tomorrow....and of course if any retraction is printed in the future it will be buried so deep in the paper that nobody will see it. Newspapers don't like to admit it when they screw up. My line of thinking is that IF this person has a history of mental instability or criminal activity that we can discredit her story via the local media and restore my friends reputation. Fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

[melntee]

Perhaps a letter to the editor disputing the (mis)information in the story, but not disclosing that you are a personal friend.
Also... many attorneys subscribe to background check services and will have more convenient accesses than us 'commoners'. Who knows, after the story breaks, an attorney may step up to assist 'pro bono'.

tee

[pak]

How about her going to the same media as well offering her side of the story, the media should want this if its that big to publish. Her character in the town should stand up as well. She is in the buisness of helping animals so she should have good standing with people. Perhaps threatening the person with a suite dealing with character defacement and buisness loss will send her packing...

Just a random thought

[cheyenne1212]

Don't know if it helps any, but you can do a credit check on a person.

I've actually used one of those sites where you pay them 15 bucks and they look up stuff about this women. All I can say, is make sure you get a reputable one if you do it.

Your best bet is to do like :-\ said and go through a attorney.

[CXGJarrod]

If its worth enough to you, hire a private detective. I know that sounds corny, but Forbes did a article about how $500 can get you criminal history, credit history, credit cards and Social Security numbers from a private detective.

[MrLinus]

Stupid question but if the animal in question was "neutered", then usually they are "chipped". Has the owner asked for the "chip" to be checked or got any other identifying material (usually animals, at min, are "paw printed" especially if they are of a pure breed)?? I would think a vet or even the shelter should be able to check this information. It strikes me as extremely odd that someone would go 600 miles to pick up an animal without proof would be odd.

As for the smear campaign, retalitory actions wouldn't be helpful, IMHO and might do more harm than good. If this person is smearing your friend in public, a court order to desist should stop that (freedom of speech is ok up to the point it reaches libel, etc.). Harassment laws may also help. A visit with the local prosecutor might be worthwhile to see if there are other methods of remediation for this.