In February, he took nine weeks of personal leave for treatment, returning to his duties in mid-April.

Kratom is derived from Asian plant leaves and can have both stimulant and sedative effects depending on its dosage, according to the Mayo Clinic

Often marketed as a mood booster, it is not listed as a controlled substance and can be legally purchased over the counter at local tobacco and corner stores.

Fetcher was appointed by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey in July 2025, serving as the city's first-ever cabinet-level CCO, earning a reported annual salary of almost $190,000.

He previously served as deputy national press secretary for the Obama administration, going on to hold senior communications roles in the private sector for Patagonia, Rivian, and Lyft.

But on July 1, he was abruptly dismissed from his role.

On Wednesday, an email alerting city employees to recent reports of  missing cash, debit, or credit cards,  and unauthorized charges, was sent out by City Operations Manager Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

3 Fetcher was fired from his role at Minneapolis City Hall following the alleged thefts. Getty Images

The email did not explain the circumstances of Fetcher's exit, but said that he was being replaced in the interim by a former communications director with the state's Management and Budget office, Chris Kelly.

 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,  Kelliher 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 continued.

Fetcher's defense attorney, Nicole Kettwick from the Minnesota firm Subramanian   Kettwick, declined to comment.

Court records show he has no other criminal history in Minnesota except for minor traffic infractions.

Police submitted a case file against Fetcher to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for potential criminal charges on Tuesday.

The case remains under review, a spokesperson for the County Attorney's Office said.