Post by Joanna on Sept 25, 2016 1:59:27 GMT -5
Ghost Hunter Ryan Buell Arrested in South Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. – A celebrity ghost hunter who once lived in Raleigh is behind bars. Ryan Daniel Buell (above right), 34, is facing two felony charges related to theft and stolen property. He's also facing a misdemeanor charge of theft of services. All charges are in Centre County, Penn., where Buell was last known to be living. Buell was arrested on Sept. 18 in Florence County S.C., the state where he grew up.
Buell claims to be a paranormal expert and appeared on the cable TV series Paranormal State that involved looking for ghosts or trying to prove that life after death is real. Buell has a pretty big fan base across the country, however, several fans started questioning Buell in 2014. Buell had started "Conversations with the Dead" and tickets were sold to shows in cities across the US and Canada. The shows were first postponed, then canceled, and those who had purchased tickets were left without answers or refunds of their money. People wanted their money back and many never got a dime back. Some were able to obtain refunds by disputing the charge with their credit card companies.
Chip Coffey, a long-time friend of Buell's, was scheduled to appear in the "Conversations with the Dead" Tour with Buell. He said thousands of dollars were at stake and that Buell and his team were in charge of all the tour details, but nothing was booked, despite selling tickets for the show. "I know that the last accounting I had, with regards to ticket sales for the 'Conversations with the Dead Tour,' it was in excess of $80,000," Coffey revealed.
The 2014 shows weren’t the first canceled by Buell. In 2012, he cancelled shows, claiming he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. In late 2013, he told People Magazine he was close to remission, ready to tour again and started selling tickets for another tour set for 2014. However, these shows never happened.
Buell moved to Pennsylvania and once again began advertising shows and connecting with his fans on his Facebook page. Again, people complained that Buell took money for events and then either failed to appear, or the events were canceled, the most recent being a dinner in August in 2016.
Now Buell's mother is speaking out publicly. She posted several times on Buell's public Facebook page and The PRS Bureau's page. Following is one of her posts:
OPEN LETTER TO FANS - My plea to you is long overdue. Please forgive me as first and foremost, I am a MOTHER. We all want the best for our children and can be guilty of closing our eyes to the obvious. But we do it with the best of intentions and have a hard time believing what our children can be capable of. I too, took the road of non-belief for years. I am pleading with you in a last-ditch effort to help my son. With this being a public forum, you must understand that there is only so much I can put in writing. But I will say this - the ONLY people who TRULY know his situation and whom you should trust in this is his blood FAMILY. Not those who are in cahoots, nor profess their PRS love, or "business" partners. We want nothing from Ryan except HIM - to enjoy and love as our son, brother, nephew, cousin, grandson, etc. So, as his Mother, I beg you all - if you are a TRUE fan - PLEASE stop enabling his situation by sending money, buying tickets to events that may never occur, buying merchandise/phone calls you may never get, paying money to watch him on Twitch, and giving him offers of shelter. If you TRULY want to help him...you TRULY have his BEST interests at heart, THIS is how you help. I know that some of you will choose to not believe me, believe that I'm doing this to hurt Ryan, or bash me but as a Mother, I am pleading with you out of LOVE for my son and I'm frightened by what his situation has become. We, as his family truly want our son, brother, nephew, cousin, grandson, etc to get well and come back to us - we haven't had the TRUE Ryan in years. So PLEASE....help him get well with prayers.....words of encouragement....and pleas for him to get the help he needs. Nothing more. Working together, maybe we can get this to work. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and GOD BLESS YOU - THE PRS CREW KEEPS DELETING THIS POST - THIS IS HOW MUCH THEY TRULY "CARE" ABOUT RYAN - ALL ABOUT $$$ TO THEM. PLEASE READ AND PASS ALONG TO EVERYONE IN THE PARANORMAL COMMUNITY!!
Buell's mother begs her son’s fans to "PLEASE stop enabling his situation by sending money, buying tickets to events that may never occur, buying merchandise/phone calls you may never get, paying money to watch him on Twitch, and giving him offers of shelter ... I am pleading with you out of LOVE for my son and I'm frightened by what his situation has become."
Fans and former fans quickly commented on Buell's mother's post, some defending Buell, others telling how Buell took money from them too. One fan said Buell was sick and his mom writes, "He's ill, but not from cancer. His family knows the REAL story. You all need to stop believing his lies and stop enabling him. ... PLEASE."
At last check, Buell remains in the Florence County Detention Center in South Carolina.
Source: Diane Wilson, WTVD, September 21, 2016.
See also "Paranormal State Star Ryan Buell Scams Fans": whatliesbeyond.boards.net/thread/2118/paranormal-state-star-buell-scams
