It was one of the more painful news stories of the past week. A Wyoming police officer chasing down suspects landed on a homemade 'bed of nails' made of deck screws and wood.

And now the business that set up the trap could face charges.

I don't know of a soul who didn't wince when they heard the details of incident which took place Sunday morning near 54th Street on Clay Avenue in Wyoming.

Wyoming officer Dustin Cook was investigating a burglary at a medical marijuana grow operation. Cook scaled a fence to gain access to the property when he landed on the homemade security device. The 'bed of nails' was made up of three inch deck screws sticking up from a 4 by 8 foot wood board. It was supposed to deter burglars, but instead impaled Cook's feet when he landed on it.

An angry Wyoming Police Chief James Carmody says he is working with the Kent County Prosecutor's Office to see if there was anything illegal about the homemade booby trap.

Currently, only spring loaded or explosive devices are banned by law.

“I think anytime you set a trap of any sort that can cause harm or injury, it should be prohibited,’’ Carmody told WZZM-13 News Tuesday. “We have warnings on mice traps, but this is something we don’t have a law on the book on? It kind of defies gravity as far as I’m concerned.’’

Cook is resting at home following a brief hospitalization after the incident. Both feet were pierced by the screws, leaving Cook in quite a bit of pain.

The irony of the incident is that the building had a working silent alarm that triggered the police response Sunday.

“We responded to that alarm,’’ Carmody told WZZM. “Did they not think that we might not walk around the perimeter of that building to try to access the building? For some reason, the moron that put it down there didn’t quite make that connection.’’

Two suspects were apprehended in the burglary and are in jail facing charges.

 

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