Background: A person believed to be Rorie Susan Woods being held by law enforcement officers while wearing a beekeeper jacket (Hampden County Sheriff”s Office). Inset: Rorie Susan Woods (Hampden County Sheriff’s Office).
A woman accused of setting beehives loose on law enforcement officers and nearby residents has been arrested, nearly 800 miles away from where the crimes occurred.
Rorie Susan Woods, 57, stands charged with four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of disorderly conduct, the Hampden County, Massachusetts, Sheriff’s Office announced.
It was the morning of Oct. 12, 2022, when the woman, also known as Rebecca Woods, drove an SUV “hauling beehives” to a home on Memery Lane in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, deputies said. An eviction was taking place at the moment, and, according to authorities, it was the source of her fury.
Woods allegedly removed and “smashed” the lids of the manufactured bee hives, and even flipped a hive off the trailer, “making the bees extremely aggressive.” The bees proceeded to “swarm and sting deputies and bystanders,” the sheriff’s office said, noting that some of those stung were allergic, and one employee with the sheriff’s office had to be hospitalized.
When an officer told Woods that he and other deputies were allergic to bees, she allegedly replied, “Oh, you’re allergic? Good,” MassLive reported at the time.
The suspect even donned a beekeeper suit and “carried another hive toward the home before being taken into custody,” deputies said. Photos from the arrest show the suspect in a beekeeper jacket with a face covering, and a blue SUV with a trailer attached holding stacked boxes.
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Though Woods was arrested, she was released before her trial began, and after several delays, the trial was scheduled to begin on Aug. 5. However, Woods, who is representing herself and reportedly pleaded not guilty, didn’t show up.
“A judge issued a non-bailable warrant for the failure to appear, and law enforcement began looking for Woods,” the law enforcement agency said. She was later arrested at a hotel in Kingsport, Tennessee, on Thursday.
The eviction to which Woods allegedly took issue was “stop-and-go for the better part of two years,” authorities said following the fall 2022 attack. Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi said they prepare for protests over evictions, but “a majority” of the protesters understand that they are just doing their jobs “in accordance with state law.”
“But this woman, who traveled here, put lives in danger as several of the staff on scene are allergic to bees,” he added. “We had one staff member go to the hospital and luckily, he was alright or she would be facing manslaughter charges. I support people’s right to protest peacefully, but when you cross the line and put my staff and the public in danger, I promise you will be arrested.”
After being arraigned in Tennessee, Woods will be extradited back to Massachusetts to stand trial.
