Lawmaker slams prosecutor’s ‘negligence’ in declining charges against Tesla vandal
Rep. Paul Novotny said it may be time for legislators to ‘talk about accountability for prosecutors after the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office declined to charge a Tesla vandal.
By Sarah Prentice, Alpha News – April 23, 2025
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is facing widespread criticism for declining to prosecute a state employee who is accused of vandalizing multiple Tesla vehicles.
Minnesota Rep. Paul Novotny, R–Elk River, who serves as co-chair of the House Public Safety Committee, issued a blistering statement Tuesday in which he said that Moriarty’s office “is failing to uphold their oath to seek justice and protect the public.”
His comments come after Alpha News reported that Dylan Bryan Adams, a state employee with the Department of Human Services, was allegedly recorded vandalizing multiple Teslas in Minneapolis over the span of a week and a half in late March. The vandalism amounted to over $21,000 in damages to at least six vehicles.
Moriarty has declined to prosecute Adams and instead directed him to a “diversion” program, meaning if he successfully completes programming, he won’t have a felony charge on his record.
Rep. Novotny claimed the lack of prosecution points to a pattern of leniency in the criminal justice system that undermines public safety and erodes trust.
“This isn’t a case of civil disobedience. This is a felony. It’s thousands of dollars in damage, and we have clear evidence. If this doesn’t warrant prosecution, what does?” said Novotny.
Novotny called Moriarty’s decision “a slap in the face” to hardworking law enforcement officers who attempt to execute justice for victims.
“Our law enforcement officers did everything right—they investigated, built a case, and handed it over. And the response from the prosecutor’s office was essentially, ‘Never mind,’” said Novotny. “That’s a slap in the face to victims, officers, and every Minnesotan who expects the law to mean something.”
Novotny said it may be time for legislators to “talk about accountability for prosecutors” and expressed support for legislation authored by Rep. Kristin Robbins, R–Maple Grove, which would authorize city attorneys to prosecute certain crimes when a county attorney declines to prosecute.
“This isn’t about all county attorneys—Minnesota has 87, and the vast majority of them are doing their jobs and working in partnership with law enforcement to keep our communities safe,” said Novotny.
But when “prosecutors refuse to do their job, they not only deny justice to victims—they undermine the entire legal system.”
“We’ll be taking a serious look at what statutory guardrails are—or aren’t—in place to prevent this kind of negligence from continuing. When county attorneys make it this clear that they won’t enforce the law, someone has to step in,” Novotny added.
Anoka County Attorney Brad Johnson seems to agree with Novotny’s sentiments. “Just so that no one gets any silly ideas in the North Metro from this story. Offenders who commit a crime spree causing tens of thousands in damages to multiple victims will not be approved for pre-charge diversion in Anoka County. This is especially true if the lawlessness is politically motivated,” he wrote on Facebook.
Moriarty’s decision not to prosecute has attracted national and international media attention, with the Daily Mail describing her as “America’s wokest” prosecutor.
In a statement to the media, Moriarty’s office defended pre-charge diversion as “an approach taken in many property crime cases” that “helps to ensure the individual keeps their job and can pay restitution, as well as reducing the likelihood of repeat offenses.”
“Criminal prosecution remains a possibility should unlawful behavior continue,” her office said.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara also expressed frustration with the county attorney’s decision. He acknowledged the work of the MPD investigator who conducted the investigation and identified Adams as the suspect, leading to an arrest.
“Any frustration related to the charging decision of the Hennepin County Attorney should be directed solely at her office,” said Chief O’Hara. “Our investigators are always frustrated when the cases they poured their hearts into are declined. In my experience, the victims in these cases often feel the same.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara held a press conference on Thursday along with MPD investigator Sgt. Rob Illetschko to announce the arrest and pending charges.
Four video clips were shown during the press conference that had been obtained from the victims’ onboard surveillance cameras. The videos showed a white male who in most of the cases had a dog with him while appearing to key or vandalize Teslas in downtown Minneapolis, and one at Target in Northeast Minneapolis. Chief O’Hara said all the videos shown were believed to be the same suspect.
Police did not name the arrested party, but jail records show Dylan Bryan Adams, 33, was booked into custody Wednesday morning on a probable cause charge of damage to property, Crime Watch Minneapolis first reported. The images of the suspect in the videos appear to match the booking photo of Adams.
Adams was released from custody just over 24 hours later, pending formal charges. Available public records indicate that Adams is a State of Minnesota employee working as a fiscal policy analyst for the Department of Human Services.
Police believe Adams keyed multiple vehicles. | FOX 9 via Minneapolis Police
The New York Post reported in an article about the arrest that a spokesperson for Gov. Tim Walz’s office told them that Adams is not a “political appointee” in Walz’s administration but is one of more than 40,000 state employees. No other comments about the arrest from Walz’s office or DHS were indicated in the article.
Crime Watch Minneapolis posted on March 29 that a white male with a dog had been observed in downtown Minneapolis damaging Tesla vehicles. Dispatch audio from the time of the incident indicated that the man had been under surveillance by police at the time, and that other officers stopped him on that date for identification. There’s no indication that an arrest was made at that time.
Chief O’Hara said during the press conference that the incidents took place in the last half of March, beginning on March 18, which would have been the same day Gov. Tim Walz made controversial comments about Tesla at an event in Wisconsin. Walz made disparaging comments about Tesla owner Elon Musk during the event and rejoiced at Tesla’s stock price taking a plunge. Walz even posted the clip of the comments on his personal X/Twitter page, where it still remains.
It seems that Adams is not the brightest bulb in the package:
“This is pretty stupid,” Chief O’Hara said, “committing a crime with a spotlight on you,” referring to the high-quality surveillance video technology incorporated into Tesla vehicles. The damage to the six vehicles is estimated to be at least $21,000, and each of the six incidents amounted to felony damage to property, O’Hara said.
At least one of the video clips shown by police indicated that damage took place on Monday, March 24, just after 2 p.m., which raises questions about whether Adams is on work-from-home status with the state and if the vandalism took place while Adams was on the taxpayer clock at the time.
Chief O’Hara stated that the case has been forwarded to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for possible charges.
[Editor’s note: possible charges?]
The chief urged any other Tesla owners who’ve sustained damage to come forward, as police believe there may be more unreported cases. The chief also indicated that other Tesla damage incidents are being investigated in south Minneapolis but are believed to be unrelated to the arrested party.
“We are reviewing the matter at this time. State employees are expected to follow our code of conduct and hold themselves to the highest ethical standards through their words and actions,” the Department of Human Services told Alpha News.
LEFT TOP PHOTO: Dylan Bryan Adams’ mug shot. | Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office; RIGHT TOP PHOTO: Man believed to be Adams keying a vehicle. | Minneapolis Police Department/YouTube
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Crime Watch MN contributed to this article.