Mary "Allison" Winslow Chodl typically inspired confidence in people she just met. Everything about her appearance and the way she carried herself implied a classy, trustworthy older lady. Mary supplemented her income with dog-walking. She's been taking care of people's dogs and homes all around Puget Sound. Dogs loved her too - she had a gentle manner and always brought treats. Everyone Mary has ever worked for knew her as Allison.
None of the dog owners she worked for ever suspected she was a convicted felon. Police point out that a simple background check would have saved everyone a lot of trouble, yet too many people still feel it isn't necessary. Several of them admit that they called all of Chodl's references and felt it was sufficient. Police also recommend checking government-issued ID before ordering a report on "Allison" instead of Mary.
Chodl, 64, admitted stealing over $100,000 worth of jewelry, watches and other valuables. However, from the wide assortment of items found and returned to owners, some had little, if any monetary value, but appeared to have had sentimental value to the owners. Then again, the stolen decorative soaps lacked that too, which indicated that Mary may simply be a kleptomaniac. Mary Chodl was convicted of several counts of various degrees of theft and is expected to stay under home arrest for 29 months.
Let's hope all involved have learned their lessons. When it comes to letting a stranger into your home, a background check is not optional and nothing can replace it: professional references may be fake, and they don't eliminate possible existence of a criminal record.
The above account is based on a true story.
Background checks protect peaceful citizens from being deceived and/or harmed by a cunning criminal.
