Are corrupt police, deputies, and narcotics task force agents in North Dakota having people killed?
Are uncharged drug dealers being used as hit men and mercenaries to avoid prison?
Concerns are growing.
On May 3, 2016, Lance Block, the Tallahassee attorney representing the parents of slain college student Andrew Sadek announced they are filing a lawsuit against Richland County, North Dakota.
Block announced the Sadek’s are seeking damages from Richland County and Jason Weber, the narcotics officer that recruited the naive 20 year-old college student to work as an informant to avoid felony charges – likely resulting in Andrew being shot in the head and dumped in the Red River.
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| Andrew Sadek |
The crime was never solved.
The State’s power to ‘charge’ a person with a felony for an alleged crime, being used as an extortion tool by law enforcement agents in the field is a life and death issue.
The extortion of low level drug trade players is rapidly becoming a known practice in North Dakota. Young people are becoming involved with narcotics task force officers shortly before very bad things happen.
In February of 2015 a rookie University of North Dakota police officer shot David James Elliott, an unarmed man, three times in the head in the Emergency Room parking lot of a Grand Forks hospital.
Write Into Action initiated a journalistic investigation into the Elliott shooting after learning law enforcement was attempting to cover-up what really happened because it involved the drug trade and “thousands” of pills found in Elliott’s vehicle.
Emerging evidence shows law enforcement officers and public officials in North Dakota and Minnesota are operating a transnational drug trafficking enterprise – likely the enterprise that snared Andrew Sadek.State and federal law enforcement officers are exploiting lower tier street dealers to commit crimes via extortion.
Write Into Action’s investigation into the February, 2015 shooting of Elliott, quickly led to another shooting event that occurred in May, 2015; connecting the exact same officer(s) to an exact same address of a drug dealer.
The drug dealer, Douglass Devonn Palmer, was personally known to police regarding his dealing activities, but had not been charged with a crime.
Palmer’s situation mirror’s Sadek.
GFPD OFFICER DAN HARVALA
On February 28, 2015 Grand Forks Police officer Dan Harvala let a 911 call for a ‘suspicious vehicle’ from Wells Fargo Bank wait in the cue, while he tended to a ‘loud party’ complaint at 1850 South 34th Street, Apartment 217 (Grandview Apartments).
Also located at South 34th Street at that time was GFPD officer Matthew Bullinger who attened the same call with Harvala.
Harvala reports he heard voices; knocked on the door at Apartment 217; but no one answered.
After clearing the call, Harvala responded to the Wells Fargo Bank where a high speed chase of David James Elliott began – the bizarre two hour pursuit ended in Elliott being shot by Braaten in the Altru hospital parking lot.
The Elliott pursuit was beyond bizarre.
Elliott activated his emergency hazard lights and then called 911 after Harvala began pursuing him. Elliott stayed on the phone with 911 for 107 minutes while deputies and troopers followed him from county to county without their red lights activated (thus, not activating the dash-cam) – much of the 911 call was between Elliott and Bullinger.
Write Into Action is still pursuing the 911 call records, which will reveal what Elliott and Bullinger were talking about on the phone.
The pursuit and shooting of Elliott resulted in an investigation by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
And then…
On May 28, 2015 Harvala once again found himself at 1850 South 34th Street, Apartment 217 where the sound of a gun shot prompted 911 calls.
Within a few hours, Harvala had arrested and charged a Somalian man, Mohammed Aweis Mohammed, with Attempted Murder.
Write Into Action initiated an investigation into the seemingly strange coincidence connecting Harvala and other officers to the South 34th Street address.
Write Into Action discovered strong evidence that suggests law enforcement officers are exploiting bit players in the street drug trade to cover up their involvement in drug trafficking and black operations?
The enterprise is connected to the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office and Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Write Into Action has prepared a preliminary investigative synopsis of the Mohammed Mohammed shooting case.
SYNOPSIS On May 28, 2015, Douglass Devonn Palmer telephoned Mursal Shire to come to his residence at 1850 South 34th Street, Apartment 217, Grand Forks, North Dakota. Palmer’s own statements make it clear he initiated the call that resulted in Shire and Mohammed coming to his residence. Palmer was/is a known drug dealer to the GFPD. According to police interviews, Palmer personally discussed drug dealing with GFPD detectives Cassetta and Johnson in January, 2015 (one month before the Elliott shooting). It appears he was nver charged. On May 28, 2015 … After receiving a call from Palmer, Shire came to Palmer’s door at Grandview Apartments, accompanied by Mohammed. Shire and Mohammed allegedly received a ride to Grandview Apartment from Michael Russ Weldemichael – a man they reportedly had been with all day. Only Palmer and Mohammed were present when police arrived because Shire fled, and Weldemichael was the driver but never came in the building. Harvala responded to the location around 11:31 P.M. Palmer and Mohammed gave completely differing stories to police about what happened. However, according to police records, it appears clear that discussions took place between Palmer, Shire, and Mohammed regarding the tentative acquisition of marijuana from Palmer - or one of his drug connections. Then, at some point – a gun was pulled and fired. Mohammed was pistol-whipped and beaten badly by Palmer. Shire fled as soon as soon as the gun came out. Neighbors called 911. Palmer also called 911 using Mohammed’s phone. Only a cursory review of Palmer’s statements to police reveals he lied about where the gun came from. PALMER LIED TO POLICE Palmer told Harvala that the gun came from the “waistband of Mohammed’s pants.” “The firearm was reported to be pulled out of the waistband of Mohammed’s pants by Mohammed, “racked” to chamber a round, and pointed in the direction of Douglass Palmer,” Harvala reported. But… Palmer apparently forgot what he told Harvala when he was questioned by GFPD officer Matthew Woodley. Woodley reported, “Mohammed had at least one of his hands in the pocket of his jacket. With his right hand, he pulled out a handgun and ‘racked’ the slide”. The following is from the police interview: Woodley: There both Somalian? Palmer: Yeah Woodley: K Palmer: Both are. So, he I guess interprets for him. He’s like, “All right, so, eh, like what do you guys – get it right now.” I’m like it’s 1:00 in the morning but should I call em? How much you have so I know how much he’s gonna charge ya?” Woodley: K Palmer: So were asking that and he’s never answering the question on how much he has, so I’m like, “Okay, eh…” It’s like 1:00 in the morning so you gonna leave both ya’ll, like come on, I need to go to sleep and this is when he leans back while his hands are in his fleece. Forgot to tell you that before that, but he got his hands in his fleece and he pulls out the gun. Palmer completely changed where the gun came from. He told Harvala that Mohammed pulled it from his waistband; he told Woodley that Mohammed pulled it from his coat pocket. But… Mohammed told Harvala the gun came from Palmer’s pocket and maintained that story through several questionings with other officers and agents. THE HAND GUN’S OWER NEVER IDENTIFIED Police records show law enforcement quickly ran the serial number of the gun through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to see if it was stolen - but it was not. The police records simply make no further mention of the gun’s actual owner or any investigation into that matter. On May 2, 2016, Write Into Action inquired about the gun’s owner. “We still have the handgun in our Evidence. There is nothing noted in the Evidence records identifying any particular individual as the owner of the handgun,” said Lt. Derik Zimmel, GFPD. SHIRE AND WELDEMICHAEL NOT QUESTIONED - MOHAMMED CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER IMMEDIATELY Mohammed was charged a few hours later by Harvala with ‘Attempted Murder’. Harvala actually proceeded with multiple felony charges, including 'Attempted Murder' without even questioning two of the individuals involved or identifying the owner of the gun. The only person at the scene that had actually confessed to anything that could be percieved as a crime was Palmer. He physically assaulted Mohammed and was dealing drugs. At 3:05 A.M. the GFPD issued a press release announcing the 'Attempted Murder' charges. That same day the Grand Forks County States Attorney’s office formally charged Mohammed with 'Attempted Murder' The entire set of charges was based upon Palmer's word. . |
Write Into Action is investigating facts that suggest Mohammed was strategically lured to 1850 South 34th Street, Apartment 217, where he was to be framed for ‘Attempted Murder’ through a pre-planned event that would involve gunfire.
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