After finding multiple booby traps that were apparently placed on a public trail to injure dirt bikers or ATV riders, officials in Southwest Colorado say they’re trying to catch “the loser” who was responsible. Local law enforcement has teamed up with the U.S. Forest Service to investigate the two wire booby traps, which were found on the Wilson Mesa Trail near Telluride in early July soon after the trail opened to motorcycles. On Friday, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office increased the cash reward for information leading to the suspect’s arrest, bumping it up from $500 to $1,000.
“This despicable act is a severe public safety threat to our community,” Sheriff Bill Masters said. “We are engaged in a rigorous investigation to catch this loser. Meantime, we can’t emphasize enough to have situational awareness when recreating in this area.”
As a precaution, the USFS closed the Wilson Mesa Trail Friday. It’s unclear if this closure is temporary or indefinite, but the agency says the trail will remain closed to all users while law enforcement investigates the incident. In a Facebook post, the SMCSO referred to the placement of the booby traps as “an act of indiscriminate violence.” The sheriff’s office says the first wire was reported on July 2 and was promptly removed by deputies. By then, however, it had already caused at least one injury, according to multiple users who’ve commented on the SMCSO’s social media page.
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“There is an 18-year-old male with two broken ribs that will attest the intent was to injure,” one commenter wrote.
The second wire was discovered the night of July 10 by a local dirt biker who was recording a video at the time. (Another commenter pointed out that the rider apparently had his camera rolling because it was his son who hit the first wire and broke two of his ribs.) That wire was placed miles away from the first one but on the same trail, according to the SMCSO.
In both cases, the wires were strung between two trees along the public multi-use trail, which is only open to motorcycles between July 1 and Labor Day. Because of the height at which the two wires were strung, officials with the SMCSO say they were “clearly intended to seriously injure motorcycle riders” or other recreationists. Either wire could have easily decapitated a dirt biker or ATV rider traveling at a high speed.
Commenting on SMCSO’s post about the booby traps, members of the local dirt biking community expressed how disturbed they were by the seemingly homicidal act. Some speculated about potential suspects, pointing to the tensions that exist on public lands between OHV users and the diehard wilderness advocates who are staunchly opposed to the use of motor vehicles on USFS lands. These speculations are unfounded, and SMCSCO Lieutenant Masters tells Outdoor Life that he is unable to speak to the ongoing investigation.
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The tensions between these user groups have led to other incidents, however, and similar booby traps have been found on Colorado trails before. In 2019, the USFS launched an investigation in the Pike National Forest, where another wire was found strung between two trees at a rider’s neck height. Speaking with CBS News about the investigation, Scott Jones of the Colorado Off Highway Vehicle Coalition said he’s found other booby traps — obstacles like spike strips and disguised holes in the ground — that were clearly placed on trails to injure or deter motorists.