HADLEY, Mass. (WWLP) – A woman accused of using a swarm of bees to attack Hampden County, Massachusetts sheriff’s deputies during a 2022 eviction was arrested in Kingsport, Tennessee, Thursday evening.

Rorie Susan Woods, also known as Rebecca Woods, 57, of Hadley, Mass. was taken into custody Thursday evening at a hotel in Kingsport after failing to appear in court for her trial in Massachusetts earlier this week, according to the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department.

The Hampden County Sheriff’s Department states that on Oct. 12, 2022, at around 9:15 a.m., Woods pulled up to an ongoing eviction in Longmeadow in a blue Nissan Xterra. Woods left her dog in the car and immediately went to the beehives being towed by her SUV, and tried to open the lids to unleash the bees.

A sheriff’s deputy tried to stop Woods, but she made the bees angry, and they started to circle the area. Woods then smashed the lid and flipped a hive off the flatbed trailer, which “made the bees very aggressive.” The bees stung several officers, some of whom are allergic, and bystanders who were watching nearby. One officer was taken to the hospital for bee stings.

Woods then reportedly put on a professional beekeeper suit to protect herself, then carried a tower of bees near the front door of the home to try and stop the eviction, which has been stop-and-go for nearly two years. At the front door of the home, she allegedly tried to agitate the bees more and was arrested by deputies and booked at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Facility.

Woods was set to report for trial on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Springfield District Court; however, she failed to appear.

“The defendant failed to appear for her trial date, as she was ordered to do by the court. Consequently, a warrant has been issued for her arrest. 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.”

Hampden District Attorney’s Office

She faces five counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of disorderly conduct.

The Kingsport Police Department confirmed on Monday that Woods was taken into custody on Thursday in the Model City and charged with “Fugitive from Justice for Crime in Another State.” – T.C.A. 40-9-103.

Woods’, who is representing herself in court, absence led a judge to issue a non-bailable warrant. Following her arraignment in Kingsport, extradition proceedings will begin to return her to Massachusetts to face trial.