3,700 Bladed Weapons Found in 'Booby Trapped' Home

When Hernando County deputies had to deploy bean bag rounds twice, call in negotiators and use a Taser to bring a Brooksville woman into custody Tuesday evening, they probably knew nothing about the case would be easy.

Chances are, however, they didn’t anticipate finding more than 3,000 bladed weapons jammed into the home they have since described as “booby trapped.”

The case began to unfold around 10 p.m. Tuesday when deputies and officers from probation and parole attempted to serve arrest warrants on Nickcole Ellen Fay Dykema, 47. Dykema, however, spotted Sgt. Chris Calderon outside her 12110 Eldorado Ave. home and refused to come out, an email to media from the agency stated. When Calderon told her to come outside immediately, she told deputies to “leave her property.”

Not willing to do that, Calderon and the probation officers with him decided to hang tight for backup. When that backup arrived, deputies forced entry into the home while yelling to Dykema that they had warrants for her arrest, the email said.

Once inside the home, deputies found Dykema, but she still wasn’t willing to come peacefully, they said.

“Dykema utilized a large sword or machete type weapon and attempted to stab Sergeant Calderon, missing his face and head by only inches,” the email said.

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Dykema retreated further into the home, but deputies soon spotted what appeared to be a set of feet in a corner, “possibly hiding under or behind a blanket,” the email said. “Deputies also observed a long, silver, shiny sword waving around behind the blanket.”

Rather than confront her directly, deputies once again ordered the woman to come out with her hands up. Dykema, the sheriff’s office said, refused and moved towards the deputies. Sgt. Bill Hillman deployed a bean bag round, but it had no effect.

The county’s Crisis Response Team was called in.

“During negotiations with Dykema, she fled into a room in the residence that contained approximately 500 bladed weapons,” the email said, adding that many rooms in the home had at least that many weapons. “Dykema armed herself with an unknown number of bladed weapons and advanced toward the deputies” another time, the email said.

A bean bag round was used again to no effect, the email said.

After it was decided that negotiations had failed, deputies staged at the front door, using shields for protection. Dykema again advanced on deputies, but did finally show her hands. When asked to turn so deputies could make sure she had no weapons behind her back, she “turned as if to retreat back into the residence,” the email said.

Cpl. Stephen Miller used a Taser, which did have the desired effect. Dykema fell down and was taken into custody. No officers were injured at that point. Her arrest, however, wasn’t the end of it. Forensic technicians and detectives stayed at the home until 6 p.m. Wednesday removing weapons from inside.

All told, 3,714 bladed weapons were seized. During the search, however, several sheriff’s office employees received minor injuries that required medical attention.

“It is believed that Dykema ‘booby trapped’ many of the bladed weapons, blankets, floors inside, and even the yard outside the residence, causing injury to our personnel when dismantling and/or removing these items,” the email said.

As for Dykema, she was not injured during the arrest, but has now been booked into the Hernando County Jail. Charges against her include parole violation, criminal mischief, assault and resisting an officer, among others. She was being held without bond on Thursday morning. Jail records indicate she was charged in December 2014 on a number of counts, including carrying a concealed weapon, fraud and resisting an officer.

Photos courtesy of the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office