Prosecutor Says Charging Tim Walz Official For Tesla Vandalism Would Risk ‘Public Safety’

A Minnesota prosecutor said she declined to bring felony charges against a state official whom police said vandalized six Tesla vehicles due to “public safety” and “recidivism rates.”

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty explained Wednesday why a fiscal policy analyst under Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration qualified for pre-charge diversion for causing more than $21,000 in damages to Teslas. The left-leaning prosecutor dismissed mounting accusations that she is soft on crime, and asked why the community wasn’t talking about gun control instead.

“If go through the traditional system and they have a felony conviction on their record, they are much more likely to come back and commit a new crime,” Moriarty said at a press briefing. “That is because a felony conviction destabilizes their lives, they may lose their job, lose their housing and it can just lead to future criminal activity.”

“We are very much focused on public safety,” Moriarty said. “Now … there are some people who want people to have felony convictions. That’s fine if that’s what they want, but that is not about public safety.”

Moriarty’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation.

Minneapolis police