The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced on Tuesday that Rodvelt was found guilty of assaulting a federal officer, as well as using and discharging a firearm in connection with a violent crime.
Gregory Lee Rodvelt has been convicted by a federal jury for injuring an FBI bomb technician with a wheelchair-mounted shotgun, which was just one of the numerous booby traps he had set up in his former residence
The incident occurred on September 7, 2018, when the FBI and bomb technicians from the Oregon State Police visited Rodvelt’s property in Williams, which he had previously owned but lost in a lawsuit. Court documents revealed that Rodvelt had learned about the appointment of someone to sell the property, prompting him to rig it with multiple dangerous traps.
Upon arriving at the scene, the bomb technicians became suspicious when they encountered a minivan blocking the entrance gate. Further inspection led them to discover steel animal traps secured to a gate post and beneath the minivan’s hood. Additionally, they came across homemade spike strips and a modified hot tub placed in a way that it would roll toward anyone opening the gate.
Prosecutors disclosed that the residence’s windows were barred from the inside and the front door displayed bullet holes caused by shots fired from within. In the garage, the technicians encountered a rat trap modified to accommodate a shotgun shell. While the trap was not loaded, it was connected to the main garage door to activate when opened.
To gain entry into the residence, the technicians and two other law enforcement officers utilized an explosive charge to breach the front door
As they cautiously explored the premises for more traps, they discovered a wheelchair in the center of the front entryway. Unfortunately, when the wheelchair was accidentally jostled, it triggered a homemade shotgun contraption that discharged a .410 shotgun shell, striking the FBI bomb technician below the knee.
Following the incident, the injured technician received immediate first aid from the team before being transported to a hospital. Rodvelt’s sentencing date has yet to be determined, but he could potentially face life imprisonment for the charges brought against him. The FBI spearheaded the investigation, with support from the Oregon State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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