Brainerd man sentenced to 4 years in prison for arson at Third Precinct
Breckenridge Police
A Brainerd man who admitted to helping set a fire at the Minneapolis Police Department's Third Precinct during last May's riots has been sentenced.
Dylan Robinson, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit arson in December 2020, and on Wednesday, April 28, he was sentenced to 48 months (four years) in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Robinson went to the Third Precinct on May 28, 2020, a few days after George Floyd was murdered by police, and breached a fence at the precinct. He lit an object held by an unidentified co-conspirator, who then threw it toward the Third Precinct building.
“On the night of May 28, 2020, Mr. Robinson chose to depart from lawful protest and instead engaged in violence and destruction. The arson at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Third Precinct put lives at risk and contributed to widespread lawlessness in Minneapolis,” Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk said in a statement. “With today’s sentence, Mr. Robinson is held accountable for his actions.”
As part of his sentencing, Robinson was ordered to serve two years of supervised release and pay $12 million in restitution.
“ATF is committed to investigating the civil unrest arsons of 2020 that occurred throughout the Twin Cities,” Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jeff Reed, of the ATF St. Paul Field Division said in a statement. “Arson, being inherently violent, is a serious crime that put many of our community members at risk, and it cannot be tolerated.”
Robinson was among four Minnesota men to be federally indicted in connection to the arson at the precinct. Bryce Michael Williams, 26, of Staples, Davon D-Andre Turner, 24, of St. Paul, and Branden Michael Wolfe, 23, of St. Paul, were also charged and have pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit arson. They'll be sentenced at a later date, the release says.
“The danger posed by the defendant in this case was very real,” Michael Paul, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office, said in a statement.
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message — regardless of motivation, when someone is intent on conducting a violent act that breaks federal law, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will move assertively to hold them accountable. This type of behavior puts public servants and our entire community in danger, and we simply will not let it go unaddressed.”
The U.S. Attorney's Office has charged 23 people with federal arson-related charges in connection to civil unrest in the Twin Cities following Floyd's May 25 death, a spokesperson told Bring Me The News on Wednesday.
