A jury found a Massachusetts woman guilty of the majority of the charges in her case after a hazardous incident occurred while enforcing a court-ordered eviction in Longmeadow in October 2022.
According to the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office, Rebecca Rorie Woods was convicted of four counts of simple assault and battery and two counts of reckless assault.
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Associate District Court Justice Mary Beth Ogulewicz ruled over the case and imposed a six-month jail sentence with credit for 148 days previously served. The trial lasted five days and was prosecuted by Assistant Hampden District Attorney Blake McConnell.
On October 12, 2022, about 9:15 a.m., Woods, a 59-year-old former Hadley resident, pulled into the driveway of a Longmeadow residence, driving a flatbed trailer with many manufactured beehives. As deputies from the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office Civil Process Division proceeded to carry out the authorized eviction, Woods leaped out of her vehicle and attempted to release thousands of bees.
Woods then busted open hive boxes and flipped them from the trailer, sending swarms of angry bees into the surrounding neighborhood. Deputies and HCSO personnel on the site were repeatedly struck, including one who received stings to the face and head. Several members of the team were hurt, and one staff member was taken to the hospital.
As she put on beekeeper gear and carried more hives near the house, deputies arrived and arrested her. During the arrest, she was overheard instructing another person to care for her dog, which stayed in her vehicle as bees swarmed nearby.
When told that several officers were sensitive to bees, Woods said, “Oh, you’re allergic? Good.”
According to the HCSO, the event threatened not only cops but also nearby residents, particularly those with severe allergies. Thousands of bees perished in the chaotic scene.
The case received additional attention when Woods escaped before the first scheduled trial in August 2025. She was eventually apprehended at a motel in Tennessee and detained for more than three months after refusing to waive extradition back to Massachusetts. After a governor’s warrant was obtained, she was returned to the Commonwealth and placed in the custody of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.
“This was unlike anything our team has ever experienced,” stated Sheriff Nick Cocchi. “Our deputies were following out a valid court order when they were confronted with a purposeful act that endangered lives. We are pleased that the jury acknowledged the gravity of the situation and the risk it caused to our employees and the community.”
Woods ultimately failed in her attempt to stop the eviction, which was handled by the courts rather than the Sheriff’s Office and had been working its way through the legal system at the Longmeadow residence for several years.
Even after the incident, the Hampden County Sheriff’s Office continued to assist those impacted by the eviction. The Office’s All-Inclusive Support Services location in Springfield connects clients with housing, jobs, and support services before, during, and after the eviction process.
“We don’t just show up to enforce an order—we try to help people through difficult situations,” Cocchi said. “That commitment doesn’t change, even in the face of something like an eviction.”
