LONGMEADOW, MA - A woman in her fifties who uses a swarm of bees as a weapon against deputies during an eviction in 2022 has been found guilty by a jury of her peers.
Rorie Susan Woods, 59, formerly of Hadley, was found guilty of four counts of simple assault and battery and two counts of reckless assault in connection with the incident, WCVB reported.
On October 12, 2022, Hampden County Sheriff's Office deputies were enforcing an eviction on Memery Lane in Longmeadow when Woods arrived in an SUV that was towing a beehive. Woods struggled with a deputy before smashing the top of the hive.
"She then smashed the lid, and flipped a hive off of the flatbed, making the bees extremely aggressive," the sheriff's office wrote in a statement. "They swarmed the area and stung several officers and other innocent bystanders who were nearby."
When informed that some deputies were allergic to bees, authorities said Woods responded, "Oh, you're allergic? Good." Woods donned a beekeeper's suit and carried a tower of bees to the front door of the home, where she tried to further agitate the bees, the sheriff's office said.
Woods was wearing the beekeeper's suit when she was eventually arrested. Deputies and sheriff's office staff were stung multiple times, including one who had stings to the face and head. Several members of the team were injured and one staff member was taken to the hospital.
Thousands of bees died during the incident. Wood's trial was first set for August 2025, but she fled to Tennessee. She refused to waive extradition back to Massachusetts and was eventually returned on a governor's warrant three months later.
She was sentenced to six months in jail, with credit for 148 days previously served.
Rorie Susan Woods, 59, formerly of Hadley, was found guilty of four counts of simple assault and battery and two counts of reckless assault in connection with the incident, WCVB reported.
On October 12, 2022, Hampden County Sheriff's Office deputies were enforcing an eviction on Memery Lane in Longmeadow when Woods arrived in an SUV that was towing a beehive. Woods struggled with a deputy before smashing the top of the hive.
"She then smashed the lid, and flipped a hive off of the flatbed, making the bees extremely aggressive," the sheriff's office wrote in a statement. "They swarmed the area and stung several officers and other innocent bystanders who were nearby."
When informed that some deputies were allergic to bees, authorities said Woods responded, "Oh, you're allergic? Good." Woods donned a beekeeper's suit and carried a tower of bees to the front door of the home, where she tried to further agitate the bees, the sheriff's office said.
Woods was wearing the beekeeper's suit when she was eventually arrested. Deputies and sheriff's office staff were stung multiple times, including one who had stings to the face and head. Several members of the team were injured and one staff member was taken to the hospital.
Thousands of bees died during the incident. Wood's trial was first set for August 2025, but she fled to Tennessee. She refused to waive extradition back to Massachusetts and was eventually returned on a governor's warrant three months later.
She was sentenced to six months in jail, with credit for 148 days previously served.
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