As 2022 comes to an end, there was no shortage of bizarre crime stories throughout the year that had readers scratching their heads. The bad deeds involved everything from bees, a giant stuffed teddy bear and a wedding reception that went off the rails because of marijuana-laced food.
A Florida teenager had his plans thwarted when he allegedly attempted to kill a jogger so he could keep the body in a closet to fulfill his sexual fantasies, authorities said.
Logan Smith, 18, of Cocoa, near Orlando, had a rubber mallet, a can of Axe body spray, a belt from a robe and a sheet laid out in the driveway of his residence to assist in his plot.
"The defendant walked directly across his street where he hid behind a light pole. He placed the mallet and the Axe aerosol on the ground next to him while he waited for the [victim] to come running down the street as he did regularly for exercise," an arrest affidavit states.
What he didn't count on was the fighting skills of the jogger, who overpowered Smith using martial arts. He was detained until deputies arrived.
Investigators said Smith admitted to watching the victim's routine for about six weeks and made the decision to kill him after watching a movie that showed violent, murderous acts.
He reportedly detailed he was going to kill the victim by strangulation, before dragging his body into his home on the bedsheet.
An Oklahoma man allegedly killed his friend over the summer because he thought that the victim had summoned Bigfoot to kill him while they were fishing, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
Larry Doil Sanders, 53, had gone noodling, or fishing with bare hands, at the South Canadian River with his friend, Jimmy Knighten when they got into a confrontation. Sanders told authorities he struck and strangled Knighten.
His body was found near the river the next day.
Sanders allegedly told authorities he discovered that Knighten "intended to feed him to sasquatch/Bigfoot," according to an affidavit obtained by The Oklahoman.
"LARRY advised he believed JIMMY was trying to get away from him so that the sasquatch could eat LARRY," the agent reportedly wrote in the report. "LARRY would not let JIMMY get away. LARRY punched JIMMY and struck JIMMY with a stick. LARRY and JIMMY fought for an extended amount of time on the ground."
A Massachusetts woman allegedly unleashed a swarm of bees on sheriff’s deputies who were trying to service an eviction notice.
The Oct. 12 incident occurred when Hampden County Sheriff's Department was serving the notice and deputies were met with protesters outside the home in Longmeadow.
Rorie S. Woods, who lives in Hadley, arrived in an SUV towing a trailer carrying bee hives and put on a beekeeper's suit to protect herself, authorities said. She started shaking the hives and broke the cover off one, causing hundreds of bees to swarm out and initially sting one deputy, according to the report.
Several deputies and employees were stung, including three who were allergic to bees.
"Oh, you're allergic? Good," Woods reportedly said.
One staff member was taken to a hospital. Woods pleaded not guilty and was released without bail.
A teenager in the United Kingdom thought he could hide from authorities in an oversized teddy bear after stealing a car.
Joshua Dobson, 18, was arrested in July near Manchester on suspicion of on charges of motor vehicle theft, driving while disqualified, and leaving a gas station without paying, police said.
When authorities went to his home to take him into custody, they couldn't find him.
However, after a search, they found him in a "bear-y" peculiar place.
"When we went to arrest him, our officers noticed a large bear breathing in the address before finding Dobson inside," police said.
He was eventually sentenced to nine months in prison.
"Hopefully he has a bearable time inside," authorities said.
Guests at a Florida wedding in February became sick from eating food laced with marijuana, causing multiple bad trips and a police response.
The bride, Dayna Glenny Svoboda, 42, and caterer, Joycelyn Bryant, 31, were charged with tampering, culpable negligence and marijuana delivery in connection with the Seminole County nuptials.
At least 18 people complained of feeling high or ill after eating at the reception, according to court documents. There were between 50 and 70 guests present.
One guest told authorities she saw Bryant place spoonfuls of what looked like a green herb mixture into olive oil for the bread.
When she confronted Svoboda on the dance floor, the bride allegedly admitted to lacing the food and "acted like [she] should be excited as if she were given a gift." She also told investigators she was "terrified" at how the food made her feel and showed them a positive marijuana test.
Traces of THC in the lasagna as well,
Fox News’ Pilar Arias, Bradford Betz, Paul Best and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
