A Wright City, Missouri man got himself in to some trouble over the weekend after he appeared to booby trap his truck with fake dynamite and a grenade. We’re not sure his Ford Ranger was in that much danger of being stolen to begin with, but as the backwoods guy saying goes: “Better crazy than sorry! …and don’t wipe with pinecones…and try not to ever comb your beard…also we’re against deodorant for some reason.” It’s a long saying.

The devices included what appeared to be a stick of dynamite connected to truck’s cigarette lighter and a grenade from the rearview mirror.

It was later discovered the explosives were not real, but they alarmed neighbors, caused an evacuation of the apartment complex, and induced a response from several law enforcement and fire agencies including the bomb squad from the Missouri Highway Patrol and the FBI.

A stick of dynamite connected to the cigarette lighter, and then a grenade just hanging from the review mirror? How was that supposed to appear to work? What about opening the door would trigger that? Once in, did he think people wouldn’t notice the dynamite’s wired to the cigarette lighter? How did the grenade fit in to this? And how far did this guy park from his house?! If you’ve got dynamite and a grenade sitting out there but you’re still parking it in your driveway, that might be the tip off that it’s probably not real, or this guy in a freaking moron who wants to go down with this truck if it’s ever stolen….ok, you’re right. Either could be true in Wright City.

The man, Joseph Shepherd, 36, was contrite in an interview conducted on Sunday, one day after the incident occured.

He said he was taking medication for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and other illnesses, and he thinks some new medication may have caused him to dramactically react to comments he heard from neighbors about someone using his truck.

Just locking the damn truck was the one idea that seemed to escape him.

Police were summoned to the parking lot where Shepherd lives, an apartment complex for low-income and the elderly and disabled at 660 Westwoods Drive, about 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

A “complex for low-income and the elderly and disabled”? Sounds like a sweet place. Depressing and smell like urine much you think?

Wright City Police Chief  Doug Saulters said the bomb squad used a water cannon to neutralize the explosives; the evacuation lasted about five hours before police felt it was safe for residents to return.

A water cannon? For bombs?! Ah, you know what? The water gun probably wasn’t even for the bombs. It was just a good opportunity to hose the place down while they were there.

via KMOV