A beekeeper in the US has been jailed after releasing a swarm of bees on police officers attempting to evict her friend, a cancer patient in his 80s.
Rebecca Woods freed a truckload of beehives as deputies showed up to serve her friend eviction papers at his home in Massachusetts in 2022.
Footage released by the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department captured the moment the 59-year-old, wearing a beekeeper’s suit, opened the hives.
Officers, some of whom were allergic, could be seen waving their hands to shoo the bees as one shouted: "She’s opening the bees!"
Some of the officers were stung on their heads and faces, according to the New York Times. One officer required hospital treatment.
Woods was arrested while attempting to release more hives.
Around a thousand bees died in the encounter.
Her attorney, Mary Saldarelli, told the Times Woods’ actions "really was just a sincere hope that he would not suffer the humiliation and devastation of going through an eviction, of losing your home".
Woods was acquitted by jury of seven felonies but was found guilty of four misdemeanour counts of assault and battery and two counts of reckless assault.
She was sentenced to six months in jail. Woods was due to serve two weeks of her sentence after being held without bail following her arrest.
Saldarelli said her client maintained her innocence and an appeal had been filed.
Woods' friend was evicted.
In a statement, Hampden County sheriff Nick Cocchi said the eviction was "a matter determined by the courts, not the sheriff’s office".
"We don’t just show up to enforce an order. We try to help people through difficult situations. That commitment doesn’t change, even in the face of something like this."
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