By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-20 15:06:58 | Updated at 2026-08-06 21:41:59
2 weeks ago
A Minnesota state employee caught on video vandalizing six Teslas last year received only a minimal disciplinary punishment and has since been promoted and given a pay raise.
In March 2025, Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) employee Dylan Adams caused more than $21,000 in damage while on the clock, allegedly walking around Minneapolis with his dog and keying six Teslas.
Adams's vandalism was captured by the Teslas' built-in 360-degree cameras, which automatically begin recording when someone approaches the vehicles.
Despite Adams's keying spree being caught on camera, he only received a slap on the wrist from his employer, and he was not criminally prosecuted by Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty.
A DHS spokesperson told the Daily Mail that Adams's vandalism last year 'seriously undermined public trust and violated our code of ethics.' He was reprimanded by being 'suspended for one day without pay,' the spokesperson added.
Moriarty's office said in 2025 that it would seek a 'diversion' of the case to ensure Adams could keep his taxpayer-funded job as a fiscal policy analyst while paying restitution.
Now, Adams has not only kept his job but received a promotion last month, working 'in a temporary assignment as the supervisor of the Disability Services Division’s Fiscal Policy Team,' a DHS spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Mail.
The spokesperson also said the new position 'did include a change in compensation.' As a state employee, Adams's salary is public information, and according to the most recently available records reviewed by the Daily Mail, he made about $93,000 in fiscal year 2025.
Minnesota Department of Human Services employee Dylan Adams was caught on video vandalizing six Teslas in March of last year
The acts of vandalism were caught on video because Teslas automatically record when someone approaches the vehicle
Adams was never criminally prosecuted, and he received a one-day suspension from his employer. Last month, he was given a promotion and a raise
The spokesperson said they would follow up with information about exactly how much Adams is now making but did not say how long he might hold the 'temporary assignment.'
It is understood that the public employee's actions were retaliation against Trump's victory in the 2024 election, as Tesla CEO and temporary trillionaire Elon Musk backed the president and donated nearly $300 million to his campaign.
Soon after the election, Teslas, their charging stations and dealerships all became targets of politically motivated violence by outraged leftists.
Some took it a step further, calling Musk a Nazi and saying he should be killed. Tesla owners reported public attacks ranging from verbal abuse to physical assault.
District Attorney Moriarty, who declined to criminally prosecute Adams, has been criticized in the past for her highly progressive approach in dealing with criminals.
One of her biggest controversies came in 2023, when she played a key role in overturning the conviction of a man who was arrested for murdering a flower shop employee during a robbery in 2004.
Her office also announced last year that it would stop prosecuting felony cases that stem from low-level traffic stops.
Footage shared by Minneapolis Police shows Adams calmly walking up to one of the vehicles before casually keying it
Minneapolis Police Chief Brain O'Hara said: 'Our investigators are always frustrated when the cases they poured their hearts into are declined'
Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty has been criticized for her soft-touch approach to crime, which she extended to Adams. She will not seek reelection in November
Moriarty's approach to criminal justice was extended to Adams, which frustrated police and some members of the Minneapolis community.
Minneapolis Police Department Chief Brian O’Hara said last year: 'Our investigators are always frustrated when the cases they poured their hearts into are declined,' adding that victims of crimes usually feel the same way.
Moriarty announced in August 2025 that she would not be seeking reelection in November 2026. The primary for that election will begin early next month.
