By Hudson Crozier
An employee in Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration will pay the owners of Tesla vehicles that police say he vandalized to avoid criminal charges, a left-wing prosecutor’s office announced Monday.
The office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said it will pursue “pre-charge diversion” instead of felony charges against Dylan Adams, a fiscal policy analyst for Walz’s Department of Human Services, Fox 9 reported. Video footage shared by police appeared to show Adams keying six Tesla vehicles around town, marking a trend of attacks stemming from outrage against Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s politics, Minneapolis police said Thursday. (RELATED: Meet The Suspects Who Spent Holiday Week Getting Arrested For Alleged Tesla Vandalism)
Minneapolis Police on Thursday claimed that Adams caused more than $21,000 in damages to the Teslas. Moriarty’s office warned that “criminal prosecution remains a possibility should [Adams’s] unlawful behavior continue.”
“Our main priorities are to secure restitution for the victims and hold Mr. Adams accountable,” the attorney’s office told Fox 9. The statement said pre-charge diversion “is an approach taken in many property crime cases and helps to ensure the individual keeps their job and can pay restitution, as well as reducing the likelihood of repeat offenses.”
“My client is very remorseful for his actions and is beginning the process of making sure the victims are made whole financially,” Robert Paule, Adams’s attorney, told Fox 9. “We are grateful for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office exercise of prosecutorial discretion, and apologize to the victims and law enforcement.”
Minnesota county attorneys run on nonpartisan tickets, though Moriarty is considered a left-leaning prosecutor who advocates for alternatives to punishment in the criminal justice system. She has backers funded by left-wing billionaire George Soros.
Critics have called her soft on crime, particularly after she spoke out against the bipartisan Laken Riley Act that President Donald Trump signed into law, which prioritizes deporting illegal immigrants with criminal records.
Dylan Bryan Adams, a state employee who vandalized multiple Tesla vehicles, gets a mug shot taken in Hennepin County, Minnesota on April 16, 2025. (Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)
“This bill could also lead to more violence in our communities,” Moriarty said in January, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests.
Moriarty’s office and Minnesota’s Department of Human Services did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
