Can an ordinary citizen run a background criminal check on an employee?

I have 36 employees in four shops in three states; Texas, Tennessee, and Oklahoma. I hired a man in my Oklahoma shop and he is very good at his work. The problem is that information came my way that he may not be all he claims to be. I do not want to lose this man. However, due to the nature of my business, I cannot have employees with questionable backgrounds.

I see ads for background checks and tried two of them and they turned out to be questionable on their own. What would be a good reliable way to run a criminal check on this man without him knowing about it. If he turns out with a clean record, I need to promote him to a more sensitive position. Anyone have a suggestion? Thanks.

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