Home > Crime > Two Men Arrested After Setting Booby Traps Along Popular Hiking Trail

Two Men Arrested After Setting Booby Traps Along Popular Hiking Trail

April 27, 2012 at 2:17 pm by Ginny Leigh

SOUTH FORK CANYON, UT – Two men have been arrested after admitting to setting some potentially lethal booby traps along a popular hiking trail.

The traps were discovered on April 16th by U.S. Forest Officer James Schoeffler while investigating reports of suspicious activity along Big Springs Trail. He had been checking out a popular, makeshift dead-wood shelter when he found the first trap.

“As he investigated the shelter he noticed what appeared to be a trip wire near the ground at an entrance. Upon further investigation he discovered that the trip wire led to a booby trap device which was made with a large rock, sticks sharpened at both ends, and was held together with rope,” said a statement issued by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.

If the wire had been tripped, the boulder was designed to swing at head height. Schoeffler, using his experience as a a bomb disposal technician, decided to check around for more traps.

“Typically, anywhere I’ve been, if there’s one, there’s two, if there’s three, there’s four,” Schoeffler said.

He was correct in his assumptions. He would find a second trap that consisted of a wire meant to trip a passerby, causing them to fall into a pit of sharpened stakes.

Police would eventually arrest Benjamin Rutkowski, 19, and Kai Christensen, 21 after someone contacted authorities regarding some online posts. Apparently, like so many super smart people who have been featured on this site, these men had posted about their activities on Facebook.

The men insisted they meant no harm and that the traps were meant for wildlife, specifically bunnies and wild boar. Police didn’t buy that explanation, nor does Schoeffler.

“I wouldn’t buy that excuse,” Schoeffler said. “They actually used the term bunnies. That’s kind of funny — and there are no wild boars in Utah.”

The pair have been released on bail, but no official charges have been filed as of yet. The most they could be charged with, according to prosecutors, is a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment. The two would have faced felony charges had anyone been hurt.

Tags: Benjamin Rutkowski, Big Springs Trail, booby trap, Crime, facebook, James Schoeffler, Kai Christensen, Utah

68 Comments

Comments

V2 Cigs electronic cigarettes - Break Free From The Pack!

The views expressed in the comments are those of the comment writers and don't represent the views or opinions of D'D or its staff. Feel free to flag comments that may violate conditions outlined in our Disclaimer.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=736546181 Michael Heldman

Fuck you.
SayAunt

“the boulder was designed to swing at head height” Either Utah has some damn tall rabbits or the boys were just out looking to fetch a Playboy bunny.
http://www.dreamindemon.com Morbid

Everyone be sure to welcome our new writer with a loud D’D “fuck you.”
EveryVillainIsLemons

They didn’t know that Harvey wasn’t a real rabbit?
sugarpie

Stupid is as stupid does. sheesh
http://twitter.com/AngelsMom0806 Angels Mom

Fuck You Ginny!! Welcome to D’D.
sugarpie

DD Salute – FUCK YOU!!
OutOfBubbleGum

Yeah, they’re cute. Yeah, they’re small and playful, too. Sarah Palin used one in the bathroom ’cause a bear skin rug was too big; but, dam, you evil Ewoks. First it was Osama. Now, it’s these guys. When will it end? Hear me now!! We’re only fighting the Federation in reruns.
OutOfBubbleGum

What bait do you use to catch a ‘booby?’
LeaveMeBe

A fat bank account?
LeaveMeBe

Yeah right, because all the bunnies in the Utah woods hightail it for the makeshift deadwood shelter to get their groove on.

Piss off, Ginny! *muah*
JGo555

How is a “bunny” or a wild boar, going to get crush at HUMAN head height by a boulder?

BTW, whoever hired Mr.Schoeffler is doing HIRING RIGHT. What are the odds that the dude that was hired to keep our forests “fuckers-free” was a bomb disposal technician that would eventually USE his past skills to prevent someone from getting hurt?

I’d give the dude like $2000 as a reward for being so fucking qualified.
JGo555

A Victoria Secret bra & chocolate?
JGo555

@GinnyLeigh:disqus *Flips the bird*
kniption

Welcome. …and don’t listen to any of them.^^^^

…or them. vvvv They’re even worse.
CT

They were hunting Playboy Bunnies? Now that is just plain wrong. Oh and screw you, Ginny. I went with screw instead of fuck because I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy today. Could be the vodka.

And damn it. SayAunt beat me to it.
http://twitter.com/RudestBuddhist RudestBuddhist

It would be hilarious if their own trap went off and they got caught in it. I would very much enjoy reading that story.
DangerousKindOfSnark

Wouldn’t this story have been so much better if they had accidentally set off the traps themselves and their stupid bodies were found draped across the scenery like a Japanese Suicide Forest?

And fuck you cute new writer Ginny.
http://www.facebook.com/sarabei Janet L. Rogers

Fuck You Ginny! Great first story!!
aka jas

This is seriously a fucked up thing to do to people. I knew a guy that was taken out pretty badly by a wire set on a trail that clothes-lined him while he was riding his bike. Fucked him up.

These dudes should have to go through there traps as punishment. Sadistic assholes.

Oh- and Fuck You- Welcome!!
JohnQknowitall

Fuck you Ginny. Fuck you.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=621965500 Ginny Leigh

Oh, fuck you guys SO hard.
JohnQknowitall

I wonder why if U.S. Forest Officer James Schoeffler had thwarted the plans of these two shits to injure or kill him or someone else, then why wouldn’t this be called attempted murder?

Parks exist to give people time to enjoy nature safely and to take a break from the stress of everyday life. These assholes just had to fuck this up. How many late nights in the county jail can these guys get in a communal pen?

Two bad we can’t see the losers who raised these turds.
Wildheart

Welcome Ginny Leigh and a big D’D Fuck You!
Gee

A great big FUCK YOU Ginny! Welcome
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=736546181 Michael Heldman

Just how we like it.
deadskinmask213

Ok so I was like wow Japanese Suicide Forest I wonder what that looks like so I used google image to look it up here at work. Not a good idea by the way but those words together was worth the risk. P.S. Ginny Eat It!
Catelyn

Young men setting booby traps… Welcome to DD, Ginny! Oh yeah and fuck you.
Catelyn

Damn I almost spit out my beer. If I wasn’t so computer shitty I would link that 5 second video!
minjofu

Looking forward to reading more of your articles .. Sorry.. I’m too midwestern to drop the f-bomb unprovoked.. lol..

On-topic.. What the hell is wrong with these guys?? .. I can see two 13 year old boys doing this sort of thing because the might not be totally aware of the consequences, but adults? .. They wanted to hurt somebody, and thats just sick..
Lena60

Gawd damn, what a bunch of fuck nuts.Glad the forest rager was experienced to catch this and these two turds.Imagine the scene, taken your child on a nature walk. And a big fffffffffff uuuuuuuuuu Ginny welcome. Great write-up. :)
Heather_Habilatory

SHOES.
Heather_Habilatory

Grrrrrrrrrr, baby!
Heather_Habilatory

The internet: It doesn’t make you stupid, but it does make you stupidity, and illegal actions, more accessible to others.

And Ginny: FUCK YOU, YOU FUCKING FUCK! <3
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=621965500 Ginny Leigh

I like you already, Heather, Blue Velvet is one of my favorite movies.
Heather_Habilatory

I’ve never seen Blue Velvet. I just like to say fuck.

But upon looking at the IMDB page for the movie, I think I’m going to have to watch it!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=621965500 Ginny Leigh

Oh, well. You should.
malq

damn, you look kinda hot.
call me
(360) 794-2600
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=621965500 Ginny Leigh

That was a genuine LOL.
malq

I can see making a practical joke like streaking naked past families, walking into cellophane or smearing the outhouse shitter with vaseline, or even soaking the only toilet paper in jalepeno juice, alll which I have done, but lethals to unsuspecting hikers? wtf?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=621965500 Ginny Leigh

Oh, Malq. When I was in my early twenties I took drunken dares to streak nekid down suburban streets, it’s not even remotely the same ting. There’s no way my bare behind could have maimed, regardless of super whiteness due to lack of sun exposure.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=621965500 Ginny Leigh

Holy typos.
http://truecrimereport.com iLLusionS

Yeah these young Kats were definitely up to no good. What they set those traps and expected them to do was intentional, and why not disable them if you intended to “not” use them? It’s all bullshit. Thank goodness this guy found them before some poor kid stumbled up on that.
megaflytron

Maybe it is infested with Robbie the Rabbits from Silent Hill as well.
malq

Yeah ya know you reminded me. The loggers want the mountain bikers out of the woods here and some one was stringing fishing line with treble hooks in them across the trails. They got taken down before someone rode through them, but dayum, son.
newstarshipsmell ™

To me, ‘so much better’ would involve them surviving the the accident (preferably with permanent maiming) so they can endure the additional public ridicule of being completely retarded fuckheads, as well as facing those felony charges for injuring themselves.
newstarshipsmell ™

Yeah, they may as well have claimed they were hunting fucking Sasquatch, considering what they’ve done to their credibility.

I have hope for these kids, though. Some thoughtful adult just needs to give them a quick crash-course in entrapment and point them towards some online chatrooms where equally intelligent pedos hang out…
newstarshipsmell ™

Sorry, Ben and Kai – while I can award you each 300 XP for successfully Setting Traps, unfortunately you failed your saving throws vs. Common Stupidity on Facebook, and from now on all your rolls to Convince Others You Are Not Morons will suffer a permanent -10 penalty.
JGo555

Fuck no! I don’t want these two knuckleheads to get any more “enlightenment” in their ways to become 10x more dangerous much less do I want them to be “paedos” or get together w/them & then become paedos!

I might be lenient w/these 2 if they start getting training for working in a bomb squad unit for the cops & then use their “evilness” for the good of humanity. THEN I’ll give them a break.
Zazen

And possibly ending up looking like Quasimodo is an added bonus?
Zazen

Damnit, instead of just laughing, I guffawed. That places me firmly in the realm of Utter Geekdom, doesn’t it?
newstarshipsmell ™

Well my intention was that they would *hunt* the pedos not *join* them, but you’re right – these idiots would probably just join them.
newstarshipsmell ™

“Two bad we can’t see the losers who raised these turds.”

You never get tired of scratching your eyes out here, do you?
sweekymom

Maybe they were out to bag Harvey, Elwood P. Dowd’s eight-foot tall rabbit friend. Although, technically, Harvey is a Pooka.

Welcome to the big time, Ginny! Get shtupped!
JohnQknowitall

You are too funny.
JohnQknowitall

Hey! Hey! Morbid said we can say it to you, not the other way around!!!
sherrdbw

I wonder how amused these two little bastards would be if they had killed someone. I can’t believe that their actions are only misdemeanors. Someone needs to wipe that smirk off of his stupid face.
midniteshadows

Fuck you, you fuck, fuck, fucker, fuckity, fuck. Oh! and “Bite me”!
Welcome Ginny – God help you.
Xiggie

Why not attempted murder?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1069158605 Randy Whisnant

Why not attempted murder?
pikeman

We could just make a bunch of cool booby traps like in the “Saw” movies and see if they make it through. Come on, it will be fun, we don’t mean any harm.
DangerousKindOfSnark

To the pain…
DangerousKindOfSnark

*Sigh* Wanna get together for some 3.5?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=736546181 Michael Heldman

Only if you add 65.5…..
DangerousKindOfSnark

I don’t think that’s an official DnD designation.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=736546181 Michael Heldman

It’s in the advanced version where it’s all spun around.
your_profound_user_name_here

Neat guys, wild boars?? However, I think that the story is a bit blown out of proportion. The traps weren’t on the trail, they were just keeping their ‘secret hideout’ pretected (spelling intentional). Besides it took place in Utah…Blahhhhh.
Adama Kitano

They should’ve got the felony charges, because nobody would’ve been hurt – they would’ve gotten fucked up.