I mean, it's not like there was any suspense involved.
If you live in Minnesota - any "blue" state, really - you pretty much figured that criminals who fit the right profile (members of the political class, their clients, and those who are in their favorable graces) get breaks by the justice system that the rabble just doesn't. Orwell's pullquote from Animal Farm - "some animals are more equal than others" - may as well be carved into the stone in front of blue city courts and prosecutor's offices.
Remember Dylan Bryan Adams, the Minnesota state employee who got busted about a year back for "keying" a bunch of Teslas, doing over $20K in damage during a stroll through South Minneapolis.
Does the name sound familiar? If you've been reading Hot Air this past year, it probably is. David, John, and Ed have written about him, as have I - not just once, not twice, but thrice.
Here goes number four.
Adams works for the state's Department of Human Services - the one that's been in the news for all the fraud this past few months, which is an unrelated matter for now.
And the DHS finally resolved Adams's case:
Minnesota State employee Dylan Bryan Adams was arrested for keying a bunch of Teslas causing over $20,000 in damages.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) March 5, 2026
His punishment?
A one day suspension.
What a joke pic.twitter.com/sMQmldAEXP
Now, to be clear, this isn't part of the Criminal Justice system: Hennepin County attorney "Bloody" Mary Moriarty reached a deal and sent Adams through a diversion program. As noted by "Teslarati":
Moriarty’s decision not to charge Adams after he keyed six Teslas was met with widespread criticism. Adams’ actions resulted in more than $20,000 worth of damages, more than $10,000 of which was to a single vehicle, as noted in a New York Post report. Yet despite the multiple offenses, Moriarty opted to enter Adams into an adult diversion program instead.
The fact that Adams is a state employee who works for the Department of Human Services as a program consultant triggered allegations that his dismissal might be partly influenced by Gov. Tim Walz. Walz is a staunch critic of Musk, previously stating that the falling price of TSLA stock gives him a “boost” in the morning.
Now, a first-time offender with a clean record can often get a reduced sentence under Minnesota law. Right or wrong, that's not unusual.
But no - this is about the response at his day job, the DHS.
And by "the response" - well, there wasn't much:
New records show a Minnesota state employee who admitted to keying multiple Teslas across Minneapolis received just a one-day suspension for his actions and said he was “on a break” or “out sick” during some of the incidents.
Out sick and/or on a break, you say?
State time and attendance records obtained by Alpha News show that Dylan Bryan Adams — a fiscal policy analyst at the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) who is the “Compliance Lead on DHS’s Program Integrity Team” — was logged as working during at least some of the daytime incidents.
However, a newly released DHS investigative report has concluded there is “insufficient evidence” to determine that Adams committed the vandalism while “on duty,” saying he told investigators he was “on a break” or “out sick” when he was caught on camera keying Teslas — but apparently not too sick to commit a crime.
Republican House caucus leader Harry Niska pretty much nailed it in his response:
Leader @HarryNiska nails it:
— Andrew Wagner (@andrewwagner) March 5, 2026
"the message is clear: if you belong to a certain class of state employees, Gov. Walz and Minnesota Democrats will protect you.” https://t.co/jaJWOh1ee2
On the one hand, I'm not one to go after the day jobs of people I disagree with. And the two-minute hate over Tesla is off again, for now.
But if Adams had vandalized an LGBT display, it's not a stretch to think the results, from the DHS and the Henco prosecutor's office, might have been very different.
