A Massachusetts beekeeper has been sentenced to six months in jail for unleashing thousands of bees on sheriff’s deputies during a court-ordered eviction in 2022, multiple news outlets report.
Rebecca Woods was charged with four misdemeanor counts of assault and battery and two counts of reckless assault for the incident. Ms. Woods arrived at a $1.9 million home in Longmeadow with a truckload of hives and began opening them in the driveway while wearing a beekeeper’s suit for protection.
She said in a court affidavit that she was trying to stop the eviction of a friend undergoing cancer treatment. Her lawyer said she hoped to spare her friend the humiliation of losing their home.
Ms. Woods fled to Tennessee ahead of her trial and was returned to Massachusetts three months later on a governor’s warrant.
