Sgt. Terry Preuninger, PIO
Wednesday, August 28, 2019 at 5:32 p.m.
A Spokane city employee assigned to one of the cleanup crews as a part of the city’s effort to remove illegal camps was injured yesterday when he stepped on a “booby-trap,” which had been placed by the occupant of the camp to protect the illegal marijuana grow at the same location.
Yesterday on 08-27-19 city employees including police officers, members of code enforcement and city cleanup crews were investigating a camp located in the 1300 block of South Lindeke in the City of Spokane. They found an occupied camp and contacted a man later identified as Clyde E Walling Jr (41). Upon initial contact Walling attempted to flee from police but eventually complied with their requests to stop. Probable cause existed to originally charge him with illegal camping and he was confirmed to have a valid warrant with the Department of Corrections. He was taken into custody without further incident.
As officers and other members of the cleanup crew began to move about the camp they began to discover numerous boards with nails driven through them resembling improvised spike strips laid about the camp and trails around it. Unfortunately one of the city employees stepped on one of the concealed boards and was impaled in the foot. (See photos below which show some of the boards, a trip wire and the victim’s foot).
Numerous boards were found as well as two trip wires, one connected to aluminum cans as a rudimentary alarm, while the other wire was connected to one of the boards full of nails.
Over 10 marijuana plants were also found, two of the plants were mature the other smaller plants were stored in metal cages. The marijuana grow was irrigated by a pipe diverting water from a creek.
Detectives from the Spokane Police Department Special Investigative Unit responded and assisted with the scene. The plants were taken as evidence as the grow was determined to be illegal.
Walling admitted he made and placed the “booby-traps” to protect his marijuana.
Walling was charged additionally with 2nd degree assault and manufacturing of a controlled substance.
