An Oregon court convicted an elderly man in early June accused of systematically booby trapping his property, and now photos and videos are being released of the contraptions.
Local outlet KGW8 acquired photos from The Department of Justice (DOJ), and other tweets show the extent of the trap-ridden property which injured an FBI agent in September 2018. The jury convicted Gregory Rodvelt, 71, of multiple crimes related to the booby traps in his house, which included a wheelchair connected to a shotgun device and a minivan ridden with wire traps commonly used for animals, the outlet noted.
FBI agent shot by booby-trapped wheelchair inside southern Oregon home https://t.co/nynsYFse0f pic.twitter.com/FqK7bsLc4K
— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) October 2, 2018
Rodvelt also rigged a hot tub set to roll down a hill and crush anyone who made it through the front gate, according to KGW8. Rodvelt reportedly told investigators he linked the hot tub to a mechanical tripwire and aimed the trajectory at any vehicles or people unlucky enough to come through the gate.
USDOJ court exhibit showed demonstration of how Oregon home was booby trapped with a homemade shotgun device that injured an FBI bomb tech. Device fired shotgun shell using rat trap, wood, pipe & fishing line as tripwire. https://t.co/iBDocDwoiB pic.twitter.com/05XIWKoNXV
— Kyle Iboshi (@KyleIboshi) June 13, 2023
Following an FBI search in 2018, Rodvelt’s house was successfully disarmed with only one injury. Early in the sweep one FBI agent knocked into the wheelchair and set off a .410 shotgun shell, injuring another agent. However, the injured agent recovered after a brief stint in the hospital, the outlet noted. (Related: Jury Finds Elderly Man Guilty For Turning Wheelchair Into Shotgun-Strapped Booby Trap That Injured FBI Agent)
Rodvelt is facing a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for “assaulting a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon, as well as a possible sentence of life in prison for “discharging a firearm in relation to a crime,” according to a DOJ press release. The sentencing will occur at a later date.