71-year-old Oregon resident Gregory Lee Rodvelt was found guilty of multiple crimes on June 2 after he boobytrapped his home, which caused an FBI bomb technician to be injured, according to the US Attorney’s Office’s June 6 press release.
Rodvelt was found guilty of assaulting a federal officer and using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime. He is currently awaiting sentencing but could face up to 20 years in prison for the use of the shotgun.
The incident, which took place in September 2018, occurred when federal agents and state police went to a property that Rodvelt had lost in a lawsuit.
When Rodvelt learnt of the plaintiff’s intention to sell the property, he boobytrapped it.
The boobytraps at Rodvelt’s former property
When authorities arrived at the property, they were greeted with a minivan blocking the gate, alongside steel animal traps fixed to the gate post and under the minivan’s hood.
Approaching the house, authorities noticed a hot tub that had a device attached which would have triggered a mechanism if the gate was opened. The device, if triggered, would have launched the hot tup rolling towards anyone that entered through the gate.
Further along, the authorities observed that the windows to the property had been barred from within the house. There were also security doors at the front and back of the property, preventing the property from being accessed easily.
At the garage, authorities noticed bullet holes that had been fired by a gun from within the home. Upon closer inspection, they discovered that Rodvelt had modified a rat trap to fire bullets from a shotgun if the door was opened.
Authorities were forced to use an explosive charge to enter the property. They were greeted by a wheelchair rigged with a homemade shotgun device aimed at the door. It was here that an FBI officer was injured, the shotgun device shot the officer in the knee with a .410 shotgun shell. The officer received first aid at the scene and was quickly transported to hospital.