The case turns a familiar neighborhood dispute into a criminal allegation: how far can a homeowner go to keep kids off the grass? Police say the answer does not include a strip of screws hidden where children ride.
A Minnesota man, Kyle James Steffen, allegedly set spike traps on his lawn to keep children on bikes off it, and police say he now faces criminal charges. The traps were placed near Goodview Park in Wyoming, Minnesota, along a route children used; police records cited by local outlets say officers investigated a complaint on April 28, 2026, and a charge was filed July 30, 2026.
Steffen has been reported as 39, with some accounts listing him as 38. Authorities described a homemade strip with 40 3-inch screws sticking upward, and police said the children kept riding over the traps out of spite, turning a lawn shortcut dispute into a criminal case.
The alleged lawn trap
According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Law&Crime, Steffen lives at the edge of Goodview Park in Wyoming, a city north of the Twin Cities. The complaint says children had been using part of his yard as a shortcut while riding bicycles near the park.
The allegation is not that Steffen merely confronted the children or told them to leave. Police say he placed a homemade spike strip in the grass where young riders were passing through.
Officers described the object as a 3-foot-long, 5-inch-wide piece of thick clear plastic with about 40 screws protruding upward. Law&Crime reported that police characterized it as a “pitfall” meant to stop bicycle riders from cutting across the lawn.
That detail is what changed the shape of the case. A homeowner’s frustration over trespassing is one thing; placing a hidden or semi-hidden device that could puncture tires or injure a child is another.
How police found it
Police got involved after a woman reported that Steffen was yelling at her children to stay out of his yard, according to the complaint cited by Law&Crime. She also told police she had found “spikes” on the lawn.
When officers responded near Steffen’s home, they found the plastic strip in the grass. Police also noted bicycle tracks running under and around the strip, suggesting children were still riding in the area despite the device.
Investigators said Steffen admitted placing the spike strip there to keep children on bikes off his lawn. He allegedly told police he had yelled at the children “hundreds of times,” but they continued to ride through his yard “out of spite.”
The complaint also said Steffen appeared frustrated that the device was not working, according to Law&Crime’s account of the filing.
The charge police filed
Steffen was charged with setting a spring gun, pitfall, deadfall or snare, according to Law&Crime. The outlet described the count as a gross misdemeanor.
The wording sounds old-fashioned because laws against traps often cover a broad category of dangerous devices. The point is straightforward: property owners generally cannot set devices that may injure people, even if those people are trespassing.
Local NBC affiliate KARE reported that a conviction on the offense could bring a 180-day jail sentence or a $1,000 fine. Steffen was not booked into jail, according to Law&Crime, but he is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 25.
The charge is an allegation, not a finding of guilt. Steffen will have an opportunity to respond in court, and the available reports do not indicate that a judge has ruled on the facts of the case.
A park shortcut becomes a safety case
Neighborhoods near parks often produce friction: kids cut corners, lawns become unofficial paths, and homeowners feel ignored when repeated warnings fail. That appears to be the tension at the center of this case.
Steffen’s alleged explanation — that he had yelled at children many times and believed they kept riding through his yard out of spite — may resonate with people who have dealt with repeated trespassing. But police are treating the alleged response as the problem.
The location matters. The complaint places the strip along a route near Goodview Park, where children were riding bikes. A device designed to stop bike traffic could create risks beyond a flat tire, especially if a child fell onto exposed screws or swerved into another hazard.
That is why the case has drawn attention outside Wyoming. It sits at the uncomfortable edge between property rights and public safety, where a nuisance can become a criminal allegation when someone tries to solve it with a trap.
What remains unclear
The public reports leave several questions unanswered. They do not say whether any child was injured, whether any bicycle tire was punctured, or whether Steffen had previously sought help from city officials, police or the park system before allegedly placing the strip.
It is also not clear from the available reports exactly how visible the strip was from the path children used. Police described it as clear plastic in the grass, with screws sticking upward, but the court process may bring more detail about placement, visibility and intent.
The age discrepancy in published accounts is another minor point that may be clarified by court records. Law&Crime identified Steffen as 39, while other references have listed him as 38.
Those uncertainties do not change the central allegation: police say the device was placed to stop children riding bikes through the lawn near Goodview Park. The court will have to decide whether the evidence supports the charge.
The practical takeaway for homeowners
For homeowners, the case is a reminder that frustration with trespassing does not justify dangerous deterrents. Fences, signs, cameras, landscaping changes, complaints to police, or conversations with parents and local officials are very different from placing screws where children ride.
For parents, it is also a reminder that “just cutting through” a yard can escalate quickly when a neighbor feels provoked or ignored. Children may see a shortcut; a homeowner may see repeated trespass and damage.
The law will sort out Steffen’s case in court. The broader lesson is already clear: once a property dispute involves a device capable of hurting someone, the argument is no longer just about a lawn.
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