BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. --- Blue Springs police believe Ryan Blevins used a dead man's check to con a Blue Springs woman out of $900.
Blevins was taken into federal custody Thursday after at least two area women accused him of swindling them. He was out on probation after serving five years in federal prison for swindling almost two dozen women out of almost $100,000. He faces charges in Clay County and Jackson County for similar crimes in recent weeks.
According to Jackson County court documents, Angela K. Burton told Blue Springs police that she began dating the 34-year-old Blevins on Nov. 6. She said shortly after that he began pressuring her to write him a check to pay for vehicle repairs. She said he indicated he had a relative who had written him a check for the repairs but because he didn't have a checking account he couldn't deposit the check.
She said she initially declined. She said later, however, over lunch that he fast talked her into it. She described Blevins as a "very smooth talker." She said Blevins gave her a check written to her on the account of Clarence D. Pool. She said she deposited the check and then gave the $900 to Blevins.
Once she did that, Blevins disappeared and she did not hear from him again.
The check was on a closed account. Blue Springs police believe Pool is dead and are seeking his family to determine for certain that the check was stolen.
Burton told police that after the check bounced she did some research and learned about Blevins' federal sentence.
"Ms. Burton realized she had been a victim and was worried he would do this to other women so she decided to come forward and report the incident to police," according to a probable cause statement filed by the Jackson County prosecutor's office.
Blue Springs police are asking other women with similar stories to contact authorities.
