A shoplifter who had stolen a box of beer lay down in a river in midwinter in a bid to evade arrest.
Sean McBurnie nicked the £9.70 box of Budweiser from the ScotMid co-operative store in Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.
Police were contacted and arrived at the scene about 3.00 pm.
Prosecutor Fiona Griffin told Falkirk Sheriff Court: "The accused was spotted by police officers in the river, and they entered the water to try to take hold of him.
"He was lying in the water, having waded through the river to try to evade capture.
"He refused to leave the river, but was successfully removed onto dry land."
While being walked to a nearby police van, McBurnie then "struggled violently" with his rescuers, PCs Danielle Thorpe-Tracey, Alastair Allan and Andrew Stowe, and had to be put in leg restraints.
The incident occurred on December 22nd, 2019, in the Bonny Water river, next to Jenny's Park, Bonnybridge.
The carton of Budweiser was not recovered.
McBurnie, 20, of Slamannan, Stirlingshire, pleaded guilty to theft and resisting arrest.
Solicitor Dick Sandeman, defending, said: "He can do unpaid work."
Sheriff Derek Livingston sentenced McBurnie to perform 40 hours of unpaid work, under a community payback order.
The 6.2-mile Bonny Water in Stirlingshire is described by hydrologists as "the most significant tributary" of the famous River Carron.
It rises near Kelvinhead in North Lanarkshire, near the source of the River Kelvin -- but flows in the opposite direction.
