SPOKANE, Wash. — A City of Spokane employee suffered injuries to his foot after stepping on a concealed board that had nails driven through it, according to the city.
City crews, code enforcement and police officers, and clean-up crews were investigating a camp in the 1300 block of South Lindeke Street on Tuesday, according to Spokane Police Sgt. Terry Preuninger. While investigating, they found 41-year-old Clyde E. Walling Jr., who allegedly attempted to flee the scene after making contact with police but eventually cooperated, Preuninger said.
When officers and clean-up crews began to work in the camp they found "numerous boards with nails driven through them resembling improvised spike strips" on the ground around the area, according to Preuninger.
A city employee, Tristain Payne, stepped on one of the nail-filled boards, impaling his foot.
"Wood with nails in it. I stepped on that because I didn't see it. It was covered with brush to protect the pot plants as like alarms," Payne said. "There were jimmy rigs all around. It was crazy. I walked through, stepped on it. And when I stepped on one, I went to catch myself and fell on another. It was just not a good day."
Other boards with nails were found, as well as two trip wires, one of which was connected to a group of aluminum cans to be used as an alarm, and another connected to a nail-filled board.
In addition to the "booby traps," as the police called them, crews also found ten marijuana plants that were watered by a pipe from a nearby creek, Preuninger said.
"He had like a drain that came out and connected to a bunch of pipes that watered each one of the plants. He had like like a tent where he kept all of his stuff. And then he had like an actually house," Payne said.
Walling admitted to police that the traps were placed to protect his marijuana plants, police said. Walling has been charged with second-degree assault, manufacturing a controlled substance, illegal camping and for a Washington Department of Corrections warrant.
A city spokeswoman said crews will review their procedures following the incident, looking to see if any additional protective gear or precautionary measures can be taken during future cleanups.
The city said they picked up at least two trailers full of stuff from the site.
Warning: The gallery below contains a photo of a foot injury that some viewers may find graphic.
