The forced resignation of a State Economic Development epartment official raises questions about how well background checks are run on them before they’re hired. Business Development Division Director Randa Hayes has quit after it was revealed she’d been charged with a felony in Illinois and had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor stealing. She apparently did not show that on her job application and the State Highway Patrol background check didn’t discover it because only Missouri Records were examined. Patrol Spokesman Captain Chris Ricks says the Patrol might not have found much if it also had checked Illinois. A full-blown investigation that involves fingerprints and a check of the federal crime information computer would have uncovered the more damning information, but Ricks says those checks are for higher-ups. Ricks also says a concern is that hundreds of additional full-blown background checks would clog a system that already carries a heavy load investigating teachers, child care workers, gun owners, and others.
