Beekeeper vigilante unleashed dozens of her creatures on cops to try and stop eviction, officials say
Massachusetts police have issued an arrest warrant for Rorie Susan Woods, a Hadley woman who missed her trial Tuesday on charges related to her allegedly unleashing bees on sheriff’s deputies during a 2022 eviction.
The alleged incident occurred on October 12, 2022, when deputies with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department were serving an eviction notice at a home on Memory Lane in Longmeadow.
Woods, then 55, arrived at the scene in a blue Nissan Xterra, leaving her dog inside the car. She then reportedly went straight to the beehives hitched to her SUV and began attempting to open the lids to release the bees.
A sheriff’s deputy tried to stop her, but Woods allegedly agitated the bees, causing them to swarm the area. She then forcefully broke open a hive lid and knocked one of the hives off the flatbed, further provoking the bees. The insects became highly aggressive, stinging several deputies, some of whom have allergies, as well as nearby bystanders, officials said.
One officer was hospitalized due to the stings.
Eyewitnesses said Woods then put on a beekeeper suit and brought out a second box of bees, apparently to escalate the chaos and stop the eviction.
Woods was arrested on four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of disorderly conduct. Upon her arrest, Woods was being held at the Western Mass Regional Women’s Correctional Facility, per a news release.
Woods was scheduled to stand trial on Tuesday at Springfield District Court. However, she failed to appear for her arraignment or trial, prompting prosecutors to seek an arrest warrant.
“While she remains innocent until proven guilty, the accusations against her are very serious, and we will be prepared to present the evidence that she endangered many employees of the Sheriff’s Department who were merely doing their jobs. She may have delayed justice, but it won’t be denied,” the Hampden District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
At the time of the alleged incident, officials noted the bizarre nature of their encounter with Woods.
“Never in all my years of leading the Hampden County Sheriff’s Civil Process Division have I seen something like this,” Robert Hoffman, Chief Deputy of the Civil Process Office, said in a statement at the time.
“We truly try to help everyone we are court-ordered to evict, and the New York Times even documented the Sheriff’s humane eviction process during the pandemic. I’m just thankful no one died because bee allergies are serious. I hope that these out-of-county protesters will reconsider using such extreme measures in the future because they will be charged and prosecuted,” he said.
The Independent has contacted the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department for comment.
