Trespassers are frustrating, especially if they are kids who refuse to listen, but one man in Minnesota took things a bit too far. 39-year-old Kyle James Steffen was charged with allegedly setting a trap with “spikes” on his lawn to stop children from riding their bikes over it, according to a criminal complaint. Steffen could face jail time or a fine for the gross misdemeanor.
Man’s hidden trap didn’t work very well
In late April, police responded to a report from a woman who said that Steffen was yelling at her children to stay off his lawn and had placed “spikes” on the grass as a deterrant, according to KARE 11.
His property is situated near Goodview Park, which is one of the largest parks in Wyoming, Minnesota, and kids would ride their bikes over his lawn as a shortcut.
Police spotted the “homemade spike strip” and described it as a “pitfall” meant to deter children from biking on his property. The DIY trap was a “3-foot long, 5-inch-wide piece of thick clear plastic” that had “40 3-inch screws sticking up from the plastic.” Police observed that there were bike tracks “running under and around the plastic piece.”
Steffen allegedly admitted to police that he set the trap. He had “yelled at the kids hundreds of times” to get off his lawn and believed that they were continuing to doing so “out of spite.” Police said that Steffen looked “frustrated” that his trap didn’t work as intended. He said that he had set the trap to scare the kids, not to injure anyone.
Steffan has not been booked into jail. However, he has been charged with setting a spring gun / pitfall / deadfall or snare, a gross misdemeanor that carries a $1,000 fine or a maximum sentence of 180 days in prison. His first court appearance is set for August 25.
