Booby traps found at pair’s home, one with ‘chemical agent inside,’ CO officials say

Two people were arrested after being accused of injuring a man with a booby trap they had set up near the front door of their home, Colorado officials said.

On March 10, officials with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office received reports of someone being injured by a booby trap, according to a March 16 release from the sheriff’s office.

The victim told deputies that around 2 p.m. on March 9, he was “conducting business” in Highlands Ranch and “went to the front door of one of the houses,” officials said.

As he approached the front door, he “heard and felt a loud ‘boom”” and “saw that a wire was caught around his lower leg,” deputies said.

The man said he had a pain in his ear and “his vision was affected,” according to the sheriff’s office.

With the help of a co-worker, the victim left the area and went to a hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

On March 15, deputies executed a search warrant and found the “trip wire attached to a cylinder device that represents a shotgun shell,” deputies said.

The sheriff’s office told McClatchy News in an email that there was another device found in the backyard of the house with “some sort of chemical agent inside.”

During their search, deputies had a brief standoff with a woman inside the home before the pair was taken into custody, according to the release.

The two, 61 and 53, were arrested and booked on charges of second-degree assault, felony menacing and prohibited use of a weapon. Their bond was set at $25,000, officials said.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing and deputies are unable to provide a motive.

Highlands Ranch is about 20 miles south of Denver.

This story was originally published March 17, 2023 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Booby traps found at pair’s home, one with ‘chemical agent inside,’ CO officials say."