Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 10

Adam Fetcher Fired From $186,000 Minneapolis Job Over Alleged $481 Kratom-Funded Theft

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 10

Adam Fetcher Fired From $186,000 Minneapolis Job Over Alleged $481 Kratom-Funded Theft

Q: He used a legal herb to fight addiction, so why is he now facing felony charges?

He is not facing felony exposure for using kratom. He is facing it because prosecutors are reviewing allegations that he stole coworkers’ cash and payment cards and then used a stolen card to make fraudulent purchases. In Minnesota, kratom is legal for adults, and nothing in the case suggests he is being charged simply for possessing or buying the herb. The legal jeopardy comes from the alleged conduct used to obtain it: theft and credit-card fraud. According to investigators, Adam Fetcher stole from at least three city employees and made a $481 kratom purchase on a stolen card at a Minneapolis smoke shop, where surveillance footage and store staff reportedly identified him. That dollar amount matters. Fraudulent use of a stolen card at roughly $481 can qualify as a felony-level financial crime under state law, which is why Minneapolis police sent the case to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for charging review. The fact that kratom is legal does not shield someone from prosecution for stealing money or misusing someone else’s card to buy it. It also does not change the broader medical concerns around kratom. Experts say it is not an FDA-approved treatment for opioid withdrawal or opioid use disorder, and the FDA continues to warn that kratom can itself cause dependence and other health risks. So the issue is not the herb’s legality. It is the alleged theft and fraudulent transactions tied to buying it.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 10

Adam Fetcher, 42, was fired July 1 from his Minneapolis communications post after coworkers reported cash and cards missing and unauthorized charges between mid-May and June.
A $481 purchase at Minneapolis Tobacco & Vapor allegedly made with a stolen city employee card helped investigators trace the case; store staff identified Fetcher, photographed him on a return visit and provided his license plate.
Fetcher had returned from a work-approved weeks-long rehabilitation program before the alleged thefts, and the Star Tribune reported the purchases were for Kratom, an herbal substance used for opioid withdrawal that also carries addiction risks.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office is reviewing the case, while city officials told staff they believe there is no ongoing theft risk.