Former Barack Obama Aide Accused Of Stealing Cash, Credit Cards
It seems life has gotten more complicated for a former official who worked for then-President Barack Obama.
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.
BREAKING: Dolly Parton’s Cause Of Death Revealed: ‘Brief Battle’
Dolly Parton’s death came after a brief battle with cancer, her representatives revealed Tuesday.
The country music legend died Aug. 25 at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. She was 80.
Parton had been admitted to the cancer center Friday, four days before her death. Her representatives confirmed the cancer diagnosis in a statement to PEOPLE but did not disclose what type she had.
“Our beloved Dolly Parton spent her life and career bringing joy, laughter, hope and integrity into everything she touched. Her unmatched generosity reached the lives of countless people whom she would never meet, yet she was always there to offer a helping hand,” the statement read.
“Whether it be the hundreds of millions of books donated through her invaluable Imagination Library or funding research that helped create a lifesaving vaccine used around the world, Dolly’s unconditional love for all people was the guiding force for her lasting impact. After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones,” the statement concluded.
The “Jolene” singer had also been dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues before her death, PEOPLE previously reported.
Just days earlier, Dolly Parton opened up about her declining health and acknowledged that she had put off addressing some medical issues while caring for her husband, Carl.
“As I’ve shared in video messages throughout the past year, I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over [my husband] Carl. You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to manage something like this. Back in the early ’80s, I was down for several months with female issues, and I was struggling with my weight at the time too, so it’s not like I haven’t been through hard times with my health,” Parton told PEOPLE.
Her nephew, Bryan Seaver, announced her death in an Instagram video Tuesday on behalf of the Parton and Owens family.
“My name is Bryan Seaver, son of Cassie Parton, and I’m representing the Parton and Owens family today announcing the passing of my aunt, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean, Sister, Sis and Granny to one generation and Gigi to the next,” he says in the video.
Seaver, who served as Parton’s head of security for more than two decades, said she had asked him years earlier to deliver the announcement.
“This video announcement is something Dolly asked of me years ago, before I fully absorbed it as a future reality,” he continued. “As her head of security for more than two decades, a role my father Larry held before me, I have imagined the heaviness of this moment but haven’t truly felt it until now.”
Seaver said the moment brought immense pride and heartbreak, but he took comfort in his faith that Parton had been reunited with Carl and other loved ones.
Seaver added: “It is an honor, an honor that is mixed with absolute pride and great sadness. But sadness lies with us, not with Dolly. Dolly has lived in the light and is in the arms of Jesus, surely met by Carl, her parents and countless othe
