Rebecca Woods, 59, a Massachusetts beekeeper, was recently jailed for six months in late April after using thousands of bees as weapons to attack police officers.

The incident occurred on 12/10/2022, when enforcement officers were carrying out a court-ordered eviction for a house in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. Woods unexpectedly drove a truck onto the property, pulling a trailer filled with beehives.

She exited the vehicle and "smashed the beehive boxes, then threw them out of the truck, causing bees to swarm the surrounding area," according to the indictment.

When the police detail announced that some of their officers were allergic to bees, she replied: "Oh, you're allergic? Good."

Rebecca Woods (center) being subdued after releasing thousands of bees to attack police. *Hampden county sheriff's office*.

Several officers and enforcement personnel were stung multiple times on their faces and heads, with one individual requiring hospitalization. Woods remained unharmed, as she was wearing a specialized beekeeper's protective suit.

As officers pursued her to make an arrest, she continued to release the remaining beehives. Over 1,000 bees died following the incident.

"This is unprecedented for our team," the county sheriff stated, adding that the incident was recorded on video released by his office and uploaded to YouTube. He clarified that home evictions are court-ordered matters, not decided by the sheriff's office; they were simply performing their duties.

In court, Woods stated that her friend, in their 80s, was undergoing cancer treatment and faced eviction due to predatory mortgage debts.

According to her lawyer, Woods acted this way because she herself had experienced multiple evictions. She wanted to protect her friends from loan sharks who charged exorbitant interest rates on unconventional mortgages.

The case was prolonged for several years after Woods failed to appear at a previous court hearing and was later found out-of-state, resisting extradition for months before being brought back to stand trial. She was held in pretrial detention for over 5 months and was expected to serve only two more weeks of her sentence.

*Hai Thu* (Source: Guardian, People).