54 year old Richard Joseph Stratton from Hamilton, Montana appeared in a Missoula courtroom Thursday to change his plea from not guilty to guilty on the charge of placing a Hazardous and Injurious Device on Federal Land, a Class A Misdemeanor.
The Missoulian reports the wicked little booby trap was found on November 4th 2019 by a man who stepped on it while walking with his two children along the Coyote Coulee Trail in the Bitterroot National Forest, 6 miles southwest of Hamilton.
According to court documents, the plank had 10 nails hammered through it and was hidden under debris waiting for an unlucky victim. Not clear from the article how Mr. Stratton became a suspect but after being shown a picture of the nailed plank, he reportedly confirmed he was the sleaze that placed it there to “keep bikes out of the area.”
During the hearing Stratton admitted that he acted with reckless disregard that another person could get hurt by placing a hazardous device on federal land but“that wasn’t my intentions to hurt anybody”….likely story bro. By pleading guilty Stratton waived the right to appeal any aspect of his sentencing, which will take place at 10 a.m., March 3, 2021.