Mountain bike trail sabotaged with wires and spikes in Nanaimo
Police are investigating after the discovery of a neck-height wire and jagged stakes in the ground
Nanaimo RCMP are investigating after a local mountain bike trail was apparently sabotaged.
A wire strung at neck height and a series of stakes jutting out of the ground were discovered Feb. 27 by a woman, who removed them from the trail and contacted police.
The trail is connected to a logging road that leads to Barsby Lake, approximately 13 km from the Wakesiah Avenue intersection along Nanaimo Lake Road.
Const. Gary O'Brien told CBC News that the woman did the right thing by removing the wire and stakes.
"Someone could have been killed," he said.
Police are investigating further, concerned that the saboteur may return to place another obstruction.
This isn't the first example of sabotage on bike trails in B.C. In January, 64-year-old Tineke Kraal of North Vancouver was given a suspended sentence and placed on three years' probation for sabotaging mountain bike trails on the North Shore.
Kraal was arrested last year after concerned mountain bikers used a hidden infrared camera to record the avid hiker dragging branches and logs onto the popular bike trails.