​TIME FOR THE FEDS IN SADEK CASE

After two years of no answers, the parents of Andrew Sadek want resolution and they deserve it. Tammy and John Sadek are unhappy with the state investigation into the death of Andrew, a college student at NDSCS who became a drug informant and was found shot to death in June of 2014 after going missing in May of 2014.

Almost two years later, there are still no answers about why he died. That is unacceptable. The parents haven’t received an update on the case since last year despite providing investigators tips. That is also unacceptable.

Andrew’s parents want the FBI to take over the investigation into his death. HPR has previously editorialized for a separate federal investigation in the wake of national attention on the case from outlets like 60 Minutes. Moreover, North Dakota’s Congressional delegation (and possibly Minnesota’s since Andrew’s body was found in Minnesota) need to champion Andrew’s case and put pressure on federal authorities to take over the investigation. They can make the feds listen because they hold the purse strings. Democrats like Sen. Heidi Heitkamp could use their ties to the Obama Administration, being of the same party, to make them listen and take over the case.

The fed takeover of the investigation is needed not only because state investigators appear to be dragging their feet but you have to wonder about their impartiality anyway because they work with the SEMCA task force, which forced Andrew to become an informant for selling $80 worth of weed on a college campus by threatening him with 40 years in jail. State authorities investigated the actions of the task force dealing with Andrew and found no wrongdoing.

It’s amazing how this case was picked up by 60 Minutes, High Times and Reason Magazine, and that national attention didn’t spur any leads which produced any answers. Normally more light and attention to a case helps it. Not this one. And whether the state investigation is dragging its feet intentionally or not, a federal investigation will remove any hint of cover up and will have much more credibility because the federal investigators won’t have any ties to the task force.

When I last spoke with Tammy Sadek, Andrew’s mother, she was resigned to never getting answers on her son’s death but only wanted to help parents never go through what she has had to endure. She is calling as well for a law to ban use of college students as drug informants, and that is one way she wants to help parents of other college students never have to go through what she did. She deserves closure and she may still get it with a federal investigation. She is right to be frustrated by state investigators if they aren’t even keeping her updated.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem told me she deserves answers. He could take up the cause of a federal investigation takeover as he runs for governor this year.

Stenehjem was opposed to banning college students from being drug informants, but that doesn’t mean he can’t help get answers. His office provided some oversight into the SEMCA task force, clearing them of wrongdoing, so he has a dog in this fight as well.

Don’t forget that SEMCA task force is fully operational right now, too, in the southeastern portion of the state and could be making more college students become informants for selling drugs like marijuana on campus.

Is it dangerous for them, too? You bet it is. Of course law enforcement would say don’t sell drugs on college campuses then.

My response would be: do we really need a task force that threatens people with 40 years in jail for selling $80 worth of weed? How about a focus on those who are selling heroin or opiates on college campuses as we’ve seen the spike in opiate-related overdose deaths recently? Maybe threaten those people with 40 years in jail. Andrew was a small fry just selling to get some weed to smoke and he certainly wasn’t selling any drugs that kill people.

Are you listening John Hoeven, Heidi Heitkamp, Kevin Cramer, Wayne Stenehjem, Amy Klobuchar, Al Franken and Collin Peterson? Please champion Andrew’s case and push for a federal investigation so his parents get answers. To you, it may be just another kid selling weed, but to us, this is a serious injustice that needs to be righted. Whoever killed Andrew, probably will kill again and they killed him for a reason. Because he was doing work for this task force. They deserve to be outed and punished. He never would have received 40 years in jail, threatening kids with that is not right. Help Tammy and John Sadek get resolution.