Massachusetts Beekeeper Convicted for Unleashing Swarm on Deputies
A Massachusetts beekeeper who drove a trailer full of hives to a court-ordered eviction and released thousands of "highly agitated" bees onto sheriff's deputies — then reportedly responded to news that some of them were allergic with "Oh, you're allergic? Good" — has been found guilty on multiple counts of assault after a five-day trial.
Rebecca Woods, 59, was convicted on April 17 of four counts of simple assault and battery and two counts of reckless assault by a jury in Hampden County. She was sentenced to six months in the House of Correction, with credit for 148 days already served since November. The conviction follows nearly four years of legal proceedings, a fugitive stretch in Tennessee, and a Governor's Warrant to drag her back. Her attorney has filed a notice of appeal.
The Incident
It was October 2022 in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, when deputies from the Hampden County Sheriff's Office arrived to carry out a court-ordered eviction. Woods was not a resident of the home but showed up anyway — dressed in a beekeeper's suit and towing a flatbed trailer stacked with manufactured beehives. She jumped out of her vehicle, smashed open the hive boxes, and flipped them off the trailer, sending thousands of bees swarming across the property.
Multiple deputies were stung, one on the face and head, and another was hospitalized. Neighbors in the surrounding area were endangered, particularly those with severe allergies. Thousands of bees died in the chaos.
When deputies informed Woods that some of their number were allergic to bees, her reported response — "Oh, you're allergic? Good" — became arguably the single most memorable line of the entire case. She was arrested on the scene.
Her Side
According to defense attorney Mary Saldarelli, Woods was there as part of a peaceful protest of the eviction of a 79-year-old man. "She appeared with bees — she's a beekeeper — in an effort to delay the eviction process, not to attack anyone," Saldarelli told Oxygen. Woods has maintained her innocence throughout and plans to appeal.
Saldarelli also said Woods had been in jail since November, meaning the six-month sentence translated to a relatively short remaining term. The jury acquitted her of more serious felony charges, which suggests they accepted at least part of the argument that her intent was disruptive rather than deliberately harmful — even if her actions crossed the legal line.
The Fugitive Detour
The case might have concluded much sooner if Woods had not fled to Tennessee ahead of her originally scheduled August 2025 trial.
Authorities tracked her to a motel in the state, but she refused to waive extradition back to Massachusetts for more than three months. It ultimately took a Governor's Warrant to compel her return. The delay added months to the legal timeline and, given that she was subsequently jailed starting in November, added substantially to the time she spent behind bars before her conviction.
The Sheriff's Office Responds
Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi did not hold back in his statement after the verdict. "Our deputies were carrying out a lawful court order and were met with a deliberate act that put lives in danger," he said. "We are grateful the jury recognized the seriousness of what occurred and the risk it posed to our staff and the community." He added that deputies aim to help people through difficult situations — a note that landed with extra weight given the context of an eviction protest gone badly wrong.
Woods's appeal is pending. The Longmeadow home was eventually cleared.
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