WILLIAMS, OR – A bitter Oregon man, Gregory Lee Rodvelt, 72, is facing over a decade behind bars after turning his former property into a lethal obstacle course. Rodvelt was sentenced to 150 months (12.5 years) in federal prison and three years of supervised release for intentionally boobytrapping a home in Williams, Oregon, seriously injuring an FBI bomb technician in the process.
The elaborate scheme unfolded in September 2018 after Rodvelt lost the property in a lawsuit. Instead of accepting the court’s decision, he embarked on a dangerous mission to prevent anyone – including law enforcement and potential buyers – from setting foot on the land. According to court documents, Rodvelt rigged the property with a series of concealed and deadly traps designed to maim or kill.
When Oregon State Police (OSP) bomb technicians and FBI agents arrived to assess the property, they immediately encountered the danger. A minivan blocked the gate, concealing steel animal traps affixed to the post and under the hood. Homemade spike strips, previously run over by the court-appointed receiver, littered the driveway. The traps weren’t merely deterrents; they were engineered for maximum harm.
Inside the property, the danger escalated. A hot tub was positioned on its side, rigged to roll toward anyone opening the gate. Windows were barred from the inside, and reinforced security doors guarded the front and rear entrances. The front door itself showed evidence of gunfire from inside the house. In the garage, a modified rat trap was connected to the main garage door, poised to fire a shotgun shell when triggered.
The breaking point came when technicians attempted to breach the front door with an explosive charge. As they cautiously entered, a wheelchair in the entryway triggered a homemade shotgun device, discharging a .410 shotgun shell and injuring the FBI bomb technician. Thankfully, the injuries weren’t fatal, but the incident highlighted the sheer malice behind Rodvelt’s actions. “It is clear that his emplacing multiple layers of boobytraps were intended to hurt or kill a person or multiple people,” stated ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan T. McPherson.
“Fueled by anger and bitterness, this defendant boobytrapped a property in southern Oregon with intent to seriously injure someone,” said Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Eugene and Medford Branch Offices. “We are fortunate Greg Rodvelt’s actions did not kill a law enforcement officer or community member.” Kieran L. Ramsey, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Portland Field Office, added, “Mr. Rodvelt knew he was breaking the law and his reprehensible actions are what landed him this sentence.” Sergeant Kevin DelGrande of Oregon State Police emphasized, “This case highlights the dangers explosive devices present to responding law enforcement officers.”
Related Federal Cases
- Timothy Gregory, Firearms Trafficking, New Haven CT, 2024 · New York
- James William Wilson, Boobytrapped Home, Medford OR, 2023 · Oregon
- Dominique Kyle James Swain, Straw Purchase Conspiracy, Oregon, 2022 · Oregon
- Daniel Andrew Mills, Unlawful Possession of Firearms, Jerome ID, 2016 · Oregon
- Ammon Bundy Acquitted of Conspiracy, Firearms Possession, Theft, Po… · Alaska
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