Advocacy & Safety - MTB Trail Terrorist caught

This is an article about a knucklehead who was caught red handed bobby traping the MTB trails here in Lubbock



http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/020207/loc_020207074.shtml





Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Could the problem have been avoided by the use of conspicuously harmonic lane positioning?

give him a break. he was just trying to protect nature!

Link would not open for me for some reason, but WOOHOO glad a trail vandal got caught! The bc north shore trails have had (but do not now? not sure!) serious problems with some dipsh*t vandalizing trails there and seriously hurting people.

I do not understand why he is only being considered for a charge of attempted aggravated assault. Since someone was actually injured, I would consider that an actual assault rather than an attempt.

Link would not open for me for some reason,
The text:

Trail of terror for cyclists may lead to prison
BY JASON WOMACK
AVALANCHE-JOURNAL


A man who police say used wires, broken bottles and nails to wage an eco-terrorism campaign against Lubbock cyclists could spend time in prison.

David G. Knape, 62, of Lubbock staged at least a year-long campaign against unsuspecting cyclists, according to police reports. He stretched wires between trees at "neck level" and put nails and glass in the pathway of cyclists.

"This could kill someone," said Dewayne Wallace, an avid cyclist whose friend was flung from his bicycle and cut across the neck by one of the wires.

Wallace spent months looking for Knape, who now faces two felony charges of attempted aggravated assault with a weapon.

Each count is a third-degree felony, carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Detective Rene Martinez questioned Knape about the traps placed along the mountain biking trails, just east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and along Canyon Lake No. 6.

The trails are used by families and joggers and are designated for biking. Amateur and experienced riders frequent the paths.

Knape told the detective he was only trying to protect the environment.

"He just loves nature," Martinez said.

Phone calls placed to Knape went unanswered.

Cyclists did not always have a name to connect to the traps found along the trails. But many knew of the hazards and would even warn each other on Internet message boards.

"There were numerous traps along the trails, including wire strung between trees and chest/neck level," according to a March 26, 2006, posting on the Caprock Multi-Sport Club Forum. "Be careful out there."

Lubbock Police Capt. Lance Slack, who also rides a bike, said cyclists need to warn each other, but they also need to notify authorities, particularly when people can be seriously injured

"People have been seriously hurt or killed just because they are cyclists," he said.

Wallace said he tracked Knape for about six months. He photographed the wires and footprints. He then turned it all over to police.

At first, he suspected teenagers, but whoever was setting these traps was "too energetic," he said.

Large rocks had been pushed into the trail and wires that cyclists had taken down would reappear. Whoever was setting the traps was just too persistent.

"I was memorizing his pattern," Wallace said. "We were not out to beat him up or kill him. We just wanted him to stop."

Wallace caught Knape during an afternoon bike ride in November.

Knape was tying a wire to a tree, according to reports.

In statements to police, Knape said he was trying to protect area wildlife.

"He was trying to protect something we care about, too," Wallace said. "I care about nature. That's why I ride a bike."

A Lubbock County grand jury is scheduled to review Knape's case next week.

He loves nature...so he puts up traps consisting of wire, broken glass, and other non-biodegradable things...

In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "What a maroon."

I'm not surpirsed a double standard exists here. Seems he should be rendited to Syria to be tortured to find out if he's involved in any other terrorist plots.

Could the problem have been avoided by the use of conspicuously harmonic lane positioning?
Absolultely! Maybe HH can start a poll on how proper position can solve booby trap problem.

"he just loves nature"

Then he should have been happy that the bike trails were there. it would be much harder to turn bike trails into a new paved sud-division if their is a bunch of out spoken people trying to protect it. their are much better fights then this.

I do not understand why he is only being considered for a charge of attempted aggravated assault. Since someone was actually injured, I would consider that an actual assault rather than an attempt.

It's "attempted" because he has so far been charged only for stringing the wire when he was caught. It's likely that additional charges may be added if they get evidence that he put up the earlier booby traps that did cause injury.

There is a possibility that someone else is stringing up traps as well.

"Big picture" is obviously not something this guy has heard of.

Yes, bikes are hard on nature trails. I've worked on trail maintenance crews to prevent erosion, and it's backbreaking labor that's done mostly by volunteers. The work is often un-done by weather and by human impact faster than the volunteers can keep up. Bike tires do a lot of damage. I'm not denying any of that.

But.

This guy is seriously unhinged.

In the war against global warming, bike riders are generally not considered soldiers for the dark side. They're your friends, duuuuuude.

Dang, I'd hate to see what that guy would do to me, if I set foot on his lawn!

Bike tires don't do any more damage than deer.

Perhaps, but the trails still require human intervention to keep from washing away or becoming deep ruts. The greater the use, the more they need. Mr. Whack Job could have done a lot more good for his beloved nature by doing a number of things differently, such as working to maintain the trails he took the time to string crap across. His professed love of nature is a thin excuse for an outlet of psychotic behavior.

Actually, I just wish more folks would pitch in with trail upkeep. :) They pass by the work crew and say "hi" but that's the extent of it. I think people believe either the trails don't require any upkeep (they do, scads), or that someone gets paid to do it on a regular basis (they don't, much of the time). I didn't know that until I got involved.

i wanna know how the cyclist apprehended the nutjob.

my guess is with a u-lock.

"hold it right there, punk...one wrong move and this thing meets your face."

i wanna know how the cyclist apprehended the nutjob.

my guess is with a u-lock.

"hold it right there, punk...one wrong move and this thing meets your face."

Depends if the cyclist wanted to get done for assault with a weapon.

Perhaps, but the trails still require human intervention to keep from washing away or becoming deep ruts. The greater the use, the more they need. Mr. Whack Job could have done a lot more good for his beloved nature by doing a number of things differently, such as working to maintain the trails he took the time to string crap across. His professed love of nature is a thin excuse for an outlet of psychotic behavior.

Actually, I just wish more folks would pitch in with trail upkeep. :) They pass by the work crew and say "hi" but that's the extent of it. I think people believe either the trails don't require any upkeep (they do, scads), or that someone gets paid to do it on a regular basis (they don't, much of the time). I didn't know that until I got involved.

/applaud!!!!!


+ a whole lot.