FARGO — F5 Project

CEO and founder Adam Martin

has had a criminal history since he was 13 years old.

The man who created the

Fargo nonprofit,

dedicated to helping those who served time reintegrate into life outside of jails and prison, is on the cusp of clearing his name and leaving his crimes behind him for good.

In a unanimous vote, the North Dakota Pardon Advisory Board recommended on Thursday, Nov. 14, that Martin, 43, be pardoned of guilt from the crimes he has committed in the state. If approved by the governor, all misdemeanors and felonies on his record would be absolved.

“It’s almost unbelievable,” Martin told The Forum. “It feels like I’ve been in a toxic relationship from 13 to 43 and it’s finally coming to an end.”

Gov. Doug Burgum could make a decision on Martin’s pardon by the end of the month, said Kayli Richards, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Burgum’s office declined to comment on whether he would approve the pardon.

Martin said he applied for a North Dakota pardon roughly 90 days ago. Once he secures his pardon in North Dakota, Martin said he will begin the same process in Minnesota.

Martin’s adult criminal history dates back to 2001, when he pleaded guilty to felony unauthorized use of a vehicle and misdemeanor fleeing police in Cass County. Over the years, he was convicted of five felonies and several misdemeanors, some of which landed him jail sentences.

In 2010, a terrorizing charge sent him to a long-term treatment center, which he has cited as

helping him overcome his struggles with crime and addiction to alcohol and drugs.

Having a felony on one’s record is worse than the punishment a person can get from the justice system, Martin said. Martin still had to mark a box on job and housing applications that said he was a felon. The jobs he received were “low-hanging jobs.”

“I would say probably 98% of the places that I applied to turned me down, and the places that were OK with it, from a housing standpoint, were not very good places to live, and they were really expensive,” he said.

The jobs improved after he successfully finished his probation, but the housing didn’t, he said. Employers and rental companies could find his mugshot and criminal history online.

That can make having a felony record feel like “a life system,” he said.

Martin said he got lucky in 2013, when High Point Networks hired him as an accounting manager. That was a turning point in his life, he said.

Three years later, Martin’s criminal record inspired him to start the

F5 Project

as a way to help people who struggle with incarceration, mental illness and addiction. F5 represents Martin’s felonies but also the button on a keyboard that allows users to refresh a webpage, according to the organization’s website.

It’s a way for people with a criminal history to get a fresh start, the website says.

Since 2016, the nonprofit has helped about 40,000 people across North Dakota, Martin said.

Parole Board Chairman H. Patrick Weir said he was impressed with Martin. He called him a straightforward man who has helped many people reintegrate back into society after incarceration, Weir said

“He seems to be one of those individuals who has benefited from the Department of the Corrections program and parole activities,” Weir said, adding that Martin has completely turned his life around.

The purpose of the Pardon Board is to remove convictions for those who have rehabilitated themselves to make sure they are not a threat to public and victim safety, Weir said. By helping others, Martin has gone above and beyond in not just rehabilitating himself but also contributing to his community’s safety.

“He’s one of those individuals who both the Parole Board and the Pardon Board can be very proud of,” Weir said.

Being able to help people who have struggled like he has been meaningful to Martin, the F5 Project founder said. Changing your life as a felon can feel like a full-time job, he said, adding that people who try to turn their lives around have to meet with probation officers, counselors, attorneys and others.

Being able to talk to someone who has been through that creates a level of comfort, Martin said.

“I think F5 is very meaningful in that aspect where people feel safe, like they feel like they can just be themselves,” he said.

Martin said he hopes that his pardon inspires others to seize their second chance.

“It’s not just talk now,” he said. “It’s real.”

FARGO — The North Dakota State volleyball team rallied late in the fourth set to down North Dakota in the final regular-season match for both teams on Tuesday at Bentson Bunker Fieldhouse.

The Bison won 28-26, 21-25, 25-21, 27-25.

The Bison finished the regular season 8-8 in the Summit League and 12-13 overall. They earned the league’s No. 4 seed and will play No. 5 seed Denver in the first round of the league tournament at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, at the Swinney Recreation Center in Kansas City, Mo.

The Fighting Hawks ended the season 2-14 in the league and 9-18 overall.

The Bison trailed 26-25 late in the first set but NDSU’s Emma Tallman had two-straight kills and a solo block on match point to give NDSU the set and a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, the Fighting Hawks led 22-18 and held off the Bison largely behind Jarolin de los Santos Lugo’s three kills. NDSU staved off two set points but a de los Santos Lugo killed ended the set.

In the third set, the Bison took their first lead at 4-3 and didn’t trail the rest of the way. NDSU setter Eke Denessen set up Alexis Boling and Ali Hinze for kills that gave the Bison the set and a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth set, the Hawks jumped in front 10-4 but the Bison whittled away at the lead, tying it at 21-21 and 23-23.

An NDSU block by Arianna Blohm and Emma Tallman gave the Bison match point, but UND’s Vanessa Imoh’s kill tied it 24-24. After Blohm’s kill gave the Bison another match point, Imoh again answered with a kill to tie it 25-25. Ali Hinze put the Bison up with a kill and a UND attack error ended the match.

Hinze had 17 kills and 14 digs and Blohm had 11 kills, a solo block and seven block assists. Alexis Boling had nine kills and Tallman had eight kills, a solo block and four block assists.

Bison setter Maddy Dombeck had 26 assists and 12 digs and Denessen had 13 assists and six digs.

Paige Barber led UND with 16 kills and de los Santos Lugo hit .385 and finished with 14 kills. She also had a solo block and four block assists. Setter Katy Riviere had 23 assists, served three aces and had seven digs, and Elizabeth Norris had five kills, 19 set assists and 15 digs.

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U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota’s governor elect, will host an inaugural ball Jan. 18 at the Bismarck Event Center.

The event will help support the North Dakota FFA Foundation and the Great Plains Food Bank. Attendees can donate money or non-perishable goods, like canned foods, boxed meals and toiletries.

It’s free to the public, but guests must RSVP at armstronginauguralball.com. Dress is black-tie optional.

The event’s lead sponsor is oil and gas company Devon Energy.

Armstrong wins, keeps Republican streak of North Dakota governors alive

The ball is organized by the Governor’s Heritage Foundation. According to the organization’s website, its mission is to “create awareness, advocacy, and raise funds for statewide charitable efforts who improve the everyday lives of North Dakotans” and to “honor and celebrate the efforts of the executive branch of the State of North Dakota.”

The organization was formed this fall and is in the process of obtaining nonprofit status, Jacy Schafer, Armstrong’s campaign manager, said in an email.

“We welcome all North Dakotans to come together to celebrate our great state stepping into a new era of leadership with Governor-Elect Kelly Armstrong and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Michelle Strinden at the helm,” Gretchen Stenehjem, vice chair of the Governor’s Heritage Foundation, said in a statement announcing the ball.

Armstrong takes office Dec. 15.