One homeowner in Pevely, Illinois, finally had enough with kids driving all over his lawn — so he took matters into his own hands.

If there’s one way to beat a bunch of pranksters at their own game, one homeowner in Pevely, Missouri thought he had found it – until he was pretty much told he could get into big trouble for trying to protect his property the best way he knew how.

A man became so fed up with people driving their cars over his lawn that he decided to set up a booby trap for them – one that consisted of a board placed in his grass that featured nails sticking out of the ground – the better to puncture a jokester’s tires, reports KMOV-TV. The trap was camouflaged so well that drivers were unable to see it.

“They were painted black and they were buried in the ground, and it made it very difficult to see,” Pevely Police Chief Ron Weeks said.

The homeowner’s neighbors say they understand why the man felt an urgency to do something, but that the booby trap was unsafe. Local police found out about the device in May, removed it, and fined the man. But there’s a catch: booby traps aren’t necessarily illegal and police may not have had the right to remove the nail trap.

The Pevely City Council will vote Monday on a proposed ordinance to ban booby traps in the community.

The homeowner has rejected interview requests and wishes to remain anonymous.

Sources: KMOV-TV, conservativetribune.com