Midwest curmudgeon, 39, charged with placing homemade spike strip along popular bike path to take petty revenge on child cyclists

By NATASHA ANDERSON, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:52, 6 August 2026 | Updated: 19:52, 6 August 2026 A Minnesota curmudgeon has been charged after he allegedly placed a homemade spike strip along a popular bike path to take petty revenge on child cyclists using his yard as a shortcut. Kyle James Steffen, 39, is accused of installing the device outside his home, which sits along popular Goodview Park in the small city of Wyoming, earlier this year. Officers were called to his $366,000 home on April 28 after a neighbor reported that Steffen was yelling at her children to stay out of his yard, according to a criminal complaint obtained by the Daily Mail. When they arrived on scene, police saw a three-foot-long and five-inch-wide piece of plastic anchored into the grass next to his home, the filing said.  There were about 40 three-inch screws sticking straight up from the plastic strip, according to the complaint. Officers noted bicycle tracks running under and around the strip and said it appeared that local children would bike through Steffen's yard as a shortcut into the park.  He has been charged with one gross misdemeanor count of setting a spring gun/pitfall/deadfall or snare. If convicted, Steffen could face up to 180 days in prison or a $1,000 fine. Steffen has not entered a plea. His first court appearance is scheduled for August 25. Kyle James Steffen, 39, has been charged after he allegedly placed a homemade spike strip along a popular bike path to take petty revenge on child cyclists using his yard as a shortcut Steffen is accused of installing the device in his yard, which sits along popular Goodview Park in the small city of Wyoming, Minnesota Steffen admitted to placing the device in his yard in a bid to 'keep kids off of his lawn,' the complaint said. He told police that he has 'yelled at the kids hundreds of times and they still bike through his yard out of spite,' according to the filing. Officers noted that Steffen appeared 'frustrated' that his plan was unsuccessful in keeping the neighborhood children away. Steffen said he never intended to hurt anyone and instead hoped the device would 'scare them away.' The complaint does not say if any people were injured from his device.  Steffen is a lifelong Minnesota resident and appears to be heavily involved in the motorsports industry. He is a car enthusiast who does body work on model kit cars, his profile showed. Steffen used to race professionally, which appears to be a family tradition as his father used to race in the 1980s. Officers noted bicycle tracks running under and around the strip and said it appeared that local children would bike through Steffen's yard as a shortcut into Goodview Park In a Facebook post last August, Steffen said: 'My first love will always be race cars. I still feel the same way I did when I first started doing this professionally 14 years ago now. I've wrecked relationships, neglected friendships, avoided other responsibilities just because I love doing fab work so much. 'To me there's nothing more satisfying then seeing something come together off of ideas in my head transferred to a 4x10 sheet of .040' aluminum.' Steffen's attorney declined the Daily Mail's request for comment.