RAZORS, NAILS PROTECTED GROW OP

Cops Avoid Injury In Stevensville Bust

A Niagara police officer narrowly escaped injury Saturday after he
stepped on a board spiked with nails while dismantling a marijuana crop.

The 1.2-metre-long plank was nestled between a group of marijuana
plants growing in a vegetable garden at a rural Stevensville Road home.

Niagara Regional Police say the dozens of nails sticking out of the
board were intended to thwart would-be pot thieves. Fortunately, the
officer stood on the board in such a way the sharp spikes did not
puncture his shoes.

As police removed the plants, worth $20,000 on the street, a second
danger was uncovered: A trail camera strapped to a fence was covered
with razor blades.

The camera was inside a camouflage-coloured case and the tape used to
affix the razors was also camouflage.

"If you grabbed the device or even brushed against it, you'd be cut,"
said Det. Sgt. Wayne Genders.

The camera was aimed at the illegal crop. Trail cameras are typically
used by outdoor enthusiasts. The camera activates after it senses
movement just outside its field of view.

Within the camera's scope were tomato plants and the marijuana crop,
some as tall as 1.5 metres. All the marijuana plants had multiple
stems and were ready for harvest, said Det. Const. Linda Hughes, who
called them "monstrous large plants," she said.

In addition to facing a charge of production of a controlled
substance, 33-year-old Jason Gibbs is charged with setting traps
likely to cause bodily harm.

"It's a very uncommon charge. In my 23 years as a police officer,
I've never laid such a charge," Genders said. A conviction carries up
to 14 years behind bars.