POLICE IN FLORIDA underwent what appears to have been a terrifying ordeal at the booby-trapped mobile home of a 47-year-old woman, earlier this week.
Probation and parole officers arrived at the home of Nickcole Ellen Fay Dykema on Eldorado Avenue, in Brooksville, 50 miles north of Tampa, on Tuesday evening.
Police records show she had previously been arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and resisting arrest, and officers were attempting to follow up on several arrest warrants, when they called local law enforcement for backup.
According to a Hernando County Sheriff’s Office press release today, officers arrived on the scene just before 10pm, and an apparently terrifying episode ensued.
Upon arrival, Sergeant Chris Calderon observed Dykema looking out of a broken window directly at him.
She then scurried back into the house, shouting “numerous obscenities” at officers, and telling them to “leave her property”, when she was asked to exit.
When Calderon forcibly entered the home, Dykema attempted to stab him with a large sword or machete, “missing his face and head by only inches.”
Officers pursued the 47-year-old as she retreated deeper into the house, which appears to have been dimly-lit, and contained a large number of drapes, curtains, and disturbing objects including a shrine, prosthetic severed heads and limbs, and thousands of knives.
Having limited visibility into the residence, deputies observed a set of feet standing in the corner of the mobile home, possibly hiding under or behind a blanket.
Deputies also observed a long, silver, shiny sword waving around behind the blanket.
Dykema was ordered to surrender, but instead motioned toward the officers. Sergeant Bill Hillman fired a non-lethal bean-bag at her, which the report notes “had no effect.”
After negotiators from the local Crisis Response Team arrived, Dykema fled into a room that contained around 500 knives, swords and axes.
“It should be noted that many rooms in the residence contained at least that many weapons,” the police report adds.
She then armed herself with “an unknown number of bladed weapons” and once again descended upon the officers.
This time, a “less-than-lethal shotgun” was used in an effort to bring her down, but once again, Dykema was able to move on to another room, further inside the mobile home.
The five-hour ordeal ended when she “emerged from behind a hanging blanket” and charged at officers standing at the front door.
Corporal Stephen Miller was finally able to subdue Dykema with a Taser, and she was arrested and taken into custody.
According to the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, nobody was hurt. Sheriff Al Nienhuis added:
This person was obviously dangerous to the community. It amazes me that these deputies were able to take her into custody without anyone being injured.
It took forensic investigators all day Wednesday to remove every weapon from the home. In the end, 3,714 knives and swords were accounted for.
The report notes, however, that a number of investigators had to be treated for injuries, because “many of the bladed weapons, blankets, floors” and the front garden had been booby-trapped.
Local news station WTSP reports that Dykema had been on parole for stealing a kitchen knife from a pound shop in December, and had been “terrorising” neighbours with her behaviour, for several months.
She is being held on six separate charges, including resisting arrest, assault, and three counts of violating the terms of her probation, which barred her from possessing knives.
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