An Oregon court in early June convicted an elderly man accused of systematically booby-trapping his property, and photos and videos of the rig are now available.
Local Outlet KGW8 Acquisition Photos and other tweets from the Department of Justice (DOJ) show the extent of the property where the trap was set where an FBI agent was injured in September 2018. A jury found Gregory Rodbert, 71, guilty of multiple charges related to booby-trapping his home. Among them were wheelchairs hooked up to shotgun devices and minivans loaded with wire traps commonly used for animals, the paper said.
FBI agent shot dead by booby-trapped wheelchair in southern Oregon home https://t.co/nynsYFse0f pic.twitter.com/FqK7bsLc4K
— Oregonian (@Oregonian) October 2, 2018
According to KGW8, Rodbert also set up a hot tub to roll down the hill and crush anyone who passed through the main gate. Rodvelt reportedly told investigators that he hooked up the hot tub to a mechanical tripwire and aimed its tracks at vehicles and people who were unlucky enough to pass through the gate.
A USDOJ courtroom exhibit demonstrated how a home in Oregon was booby-trapped with a homemade shotgun device, injuring an FBI bomb technician. A device that used mousetraps, wood, pipe, and fishing line as tripwires to fire shotgun shells. https://t.co/iBDocDwoiB pic.twitter.com/05XIWKoNXV
— Kyle Iboshi (@KyleIboshi) June 13, 2023
After an FBI raid in 2018, Rodvelt’s home was successfully disarmed with only one injured. At the beginning of the investigation, one FBI agent was hit by a wheelchair, a .410 shotgun shell fired, and another was injured. However, the injured agent has recovered after a short hospital stay, the paper said. (Related article: Jury convicts elderly man of wounding FBI agent by turning wheelchair into shotgun-loaded booby trap)
According to one report, Mr. Rodbert faces up to 20 years in prison for “assaulting a federal employee with a deadly or dangerous weapon” and for “firing a firearm in connection with a crime.” A life sentence is possible. Department of Justice press release. Sentencing will take place at a later date.
