marijuana4n-2-web
Authorities found barbed wire as well as a leg trap on the property of Daniel Ricketts, a marijuana grower who nearly decapitated himself after running into a trap he had set to protect his plants. Reuters

A marijuana grower in upstate New York got a little too clever for his own good.

Daniel Ricketts almost decapitated himself Saturday when he drove his Honda Foreman quad bike into a thin piano wire on his farm in Berne. The wire was part of a trap he'd constructed to protect the marijuana plants he was growing, reports The Daily News.

Ricketts, 50, was thrown from his Honda Foreman, with his head almost severed from his body. The corpse was spotted by hikers who alerted authorities. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

On the property, officers also discovered a leg trap used to catch coyotes as well as barbed wire around the four plants. The plants were removed from the property and officers are continuing to investigate the incident.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple told WRGB that the rural area is frequently used to grow pot.

"They go up there and they'll grow marijuana on a lot of the state lands. Fortunately hikers, people out and about, neighbors will call us and they'll tell us," he said. He added that locals as well as hikers and "people out and about" will usually call and inform authorities if they see any suspicious activities.

New York