TROUTDALE, Ore. — A family in Troutdale said their front yard is now a no-go zone for their kids after they found sharp darts, likely shot from a crossbow, that have ended up in their grass.
Two families in the same Troutdale neighborhood told KGW they’ve found the bolts in their yard. The frustrating part, they said, is they feel there’s nothing they can do to stop it.
Now one mother of two is afraid for her two kids' safety and doesn’t allow them to play in front of their home.
Over the past 12 months, Allegra Erwin said that she has found these 6.5-inch aluminum crossbow bolts three separate times in the yard outside her Troutdale home. She said she believes the darts are coming from a pistol-style crossbow.
"They are really sharp, you could easily puncture your skin just poking yourself with it," Erwin said. "I'm concerned for my kids, and there are a lot of neighborhood kids around here playing out front. I know it's a long shot to get hit by one of these but if it hit the way it's been coming down and how far it's been sticking in the ground, it definitely concerns me."
What’s particularly concerning for Erwin is that she doesn’t know who’s behind it and where they’re getting shot from. She had a Multnomah County Sheriff's Office deputy come out over the weekend after the latest incident, but he said there’s nothing he could do.
And Erwin's house isn’t the only one that’s been seeing them over the last several weeks.
"I was just like, 'What is this doing in my yard?' So I just picked up them and threw them away," said Roseanne Zales, who lives in the same neighborhood.
Now neighbors are wondering where these bolts are coming from and asking the same thing from whoever is behind it.
"I ask you, please stop, because this is dangerous and could hurt somebody," said Erwin.
She’s also posted on her neighborhood Facebook page and Nextdoor about what’s been happening. Despite everyone being very concerned, nobody seems to know where the bolts are coming from.