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Police: Upstate Pot Grower Killed By His Own Booby Trap
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 3, 2013
Modified Sep 3, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 3, 2013
Modified Sep 3, 2013
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An Albany county man was killed by a booby trap while riding an ATV on his property Saturday afternoon, and investigators believe the trap was sprung by the dead man himself—to protect his marijuana plants. Daniel Ricketts, 50, was nearly decapitated in the accident, which according to the Times Union was caused by a "fine, nearly invisible wire that was among the fortifications set up around four large marijuana plants."
Albany County Sheriff Craig D. Apple says investigators also found barbed wire and a leg trap similar to the kind used to trap coyotes. Ricketts's property is near sprawling Thacher Park (a great place to watch the sunrise if you're in the area, by the way) and Apple told ABC 10, "The problem here is this could have been a hiker someone coming through putting their foot in a trap. It's ridiculous to [set booby traps] because you're talking about going from a low level charge of possessing marijuana to possible manslaughter." Or to possible decapitation.
Police also believe alcohol was a factor in Ricketts's accident.
Tagged
Albany
booby traps
decapitation
marijuana
upstate
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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