And it doesn’t look like things are going to improve anytime soon.
Adam Fetcher, 42, a deputy press secretary in the Obama administration, was fired from his communications job with the city of Minneapolis last week after allegedly stealing cash and credit cards from fellow city employees to purchase kratom, an herbal supplement sometimes used to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms.
Fetcher had worked as a communications officer for the city for about a year before his termination. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the alleged thefts occurred after he returned from a weeks-long, city-approved rehabilitation program.
A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital that prosecutors have received the case from investigators and are reviewing it. Charges could be forthcoming.
Fox News Digital also said it contacted Fetcher’s attorney and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for additional comment.
Surveillance footage allegedly captured Fetcher purchasing kratom at a Minneapolis smoke shop. Kratom is commonly used by some people to help manage opioid withdrawal symptoms, though it also carries a risk of dependence.
According to the report, Fetcher allegedly used a charge card stolen from a city employee’s purse to make a $481 purchase at Minneapolis Tobacco & Vapor, located less than a mile from his home.
Store manager Hamza Zamara said employees assisted investigators in identifying Fetcher as the individual who allegedly used the stolen card.
Investigators were led to the shop after a woman contacted the business to report an unauthorized purchase on her credit card.
When Fetcher allegedly returned to the store, employees photographed him and followed him outside, according to the report.
They later provided investigators with the license plate number of the vehicle he was driving.
Surveillance cameras allegedly recorded Fetcher purchasing kratom at a Minneapolis smoke shop.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Fetcher allegedly used a charge card stolen from a city employee’s purse to make a $481 purchase at Minneapolis Tobacco & Vapor, located less than a mile from his home.
Store manager Hamza Zamara told the newspaper that employees helped investigators identify Fetcher as the individual who allegedly used the stolen card.
The investigation reportedly focused on the shop after a woman contacted the business to report an unauthorized purchase on her credit card.
When Fetcher allegedly returned to the store, employees photographed him and followed him outside, according to the report.
They later provided investigators with the license plate number of the vehicle he was driving.
“We told him, ‘Hey, we know what you’re doing,’” Zamara said.
Fetcher was fired July 1. He was making $186,000 annually, Fox News reported.
“Under Adam’s leadership, the Communications team has reorganized, is fully staffed, and is well positioned to manage the City’s Communications needs,” City Operations Officer Margaret Anderson Kelliher wrote in an email to staff announcing the firing.
The email did not provide any details about the circumstances surrounding Fetcher’s departure.
In a separate memo, however, Kelliher said multiple city employees had reported cash, debit cards, or credit cards missing, along with unauthorized charges.
According to the memo, the incidents occurred between mid-May and June.
“I know this information may be concerning and troubling, and I want to assure you that the City takes this sort of report seriously and has acted accordingly,” she wrote, according to the email obtained by the Star Tribune.
“Although we cannot provide additional details, we have no reason at this time to believe there is any ongoing risk of theft,” she added.
Before joining the city of Minneapolis, Fetcher served as deputy national press secretary in the Obama administration and later held senior communications positions at Patagonia, Rivian, and Lyft.