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Coolguy

MDEA locates 'booby-trapped' marijuana patch
Staff | Village Soup | 09/26/2005

HANCOCK COUNTY (Sep 26): Special agents of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency searching Friday, Sept. 23 for marijuana growing in Hancock County reportedly encountered booby traps.

From an aircraft, Maine Public Safety spokesperson Steve McCausland said agents located a grow site near a stream in Franklin. Additional agents went to the area on foot to locate and seize the plants.

As agents neared the plants, they encountered several variations of "booby traps." McCausland reported that one agent was slightly injured when he stepped on a sharp object that had allegedly been intentionally buried. Agents then encountered "trip wires," and backed out of the area.

Members of the Maine State Police Bomb Team inspected the area for explosives and determined the trip wires were not connected to explosives. McCausland said the wires were intended to trip people and cause them to fall on sharp objects protruding from the ground.

Agents reportedly seized 47 mature marijuana plants from the area, located a nearby cabin that they determined to be associated with the marijuana, and obtained a search warrant.

McCausland reported that inside the agents located drying marijuana, processed marijuana and several firearms. As the search was under way, the owner, Jan Michael Ryan, 52, returned home. He was taken into custody and charged with aggravated cultivation of marijuana. He posted bail and will make an initial appearance in Ellsworth District Court on Dec. 6.

The Hancock County Sheriff's Office and Ellsworth Police assisted MDEA with this operation.

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Abomonog

Not the charge listed in the article. Notice how growing marijuana has become a violent crime. Most states have laws against lethal booby traps with heafty penalties attached. Charging him with "aggravated cultivation of marijuana" must somehow garner a greater sentance than 2 seperate felony charges.

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Niteshift

While I see your point about linking violence and pot, in this case, it's not that wrong.

The fact is that the guy bobby-trapped the area. Those booby-traps do not discriminate.

I can sympathize with a guy who has been burglarized a bunch of times and sets one in his store for the next burglar. The only person who is going to trip it is someone who breaks in.

But this is in the woods. Does some hunter or nature lover who gets a little disoriented deserve to have their foot or worse impaled because this turkey decides his pot crop is more important than their safety?

I'nm sorry, I think guys that put these booby-traps out are a-holes and I can't feel sympathy for their callous disregard for others safety.

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Mamabudz

...worse?...like their chest or head?...or?...or...OH!...

You mean like something they would really miss!

king cola

"But this is in the woods. Does some hunter or nature lover who gets a little disoriented deserve to have their foot or worse impaled because this turkey decides his pot crop is more important than their safety?"

I have to agree on that, if someone is out for a nature walk or hunting, by someone putting something in the ground to make someone trip, it's pretty dangerous if a hunter falls while having a gun in their hand. Some people even like to bring their kids along and they could get hurt.

If someone finds the patch they are going to find it, i'm sure they booby trapped the area to make sure no one would go any farther which still doesn't excuse it, and that would make anyone suspicious anyway and possibly call the cops to investigate.

Instead of using sharp objects they could have atleast used something harmless like paint mines to make someone who triggers one think they are entering a paintball playing area and to turn back, only downside to it is the person has to wash their clothes off but atleast the people wouldn't have to go to a hospital. I wouldn't recommend anyone doing that either though because again, if someone is hunting and has a firearm in their hand they don't need somethin to scare them.

This guy also makes outdoor pot growers look bad. It goes into the papers about people like this booby trapping their grows and get people fearing that all growers do that. You might have someone who doesn't care if they find pot growing in the woods and just not say anything but then because of people like this guy, it might go into the back of their mind that the area might be booby trapped and someone might possibly get hurt so they go and report it.

I had a friend who used to do large grows years ago but never did anything like this, the only traps he had were meant to keep animals from killing the plants, cops never needed medical attention if they found his patches.

I don't think that any harmless grower deserves to get arrested but this is one person who deserves to go to jail.

"aggravated cultivation of marijuana"

I've heard of aggravated assault charges but never aggravated cultivation.