Princeton woman arrested after chaotic visit to coworker, where she stole neighbor’s car and crashed it into his yard

LEOMINSTER — On Sunday, June 1, 2025, at approximately 4:46 a.m., Officer Matthew Chagnon and Officer William Taylor of the Leominster Police Department were dispatched to 199 Ridgewood Drive following a report of an unknown vehicle in the caller’s backyard.

(The account and quotations in this article were sourced from the printed Personnel Narrative of Officer Matthew Chagnon, Lieutenant Sean Ferguson, and Detective Oswaldo Ramos, and do not reflect any political perspective or personal opinion of News Link Live, which is strictly a business entity.)

When Officer Chagnon arrived on scene, a man who later identified himself as Richard [last name redacted], walked out of the residence and stated that there was an unknown vehicle in his backyard and that the female driver got out and ran down the road after leaving a sweatshirt in the side yard.

“I asked if he knew this female party and he stated that he did not but his roommate, Ian [last name redacted], does,” Officer Chagnon said. “Ian was at the door and hanging up the telephone with dispatch.”

Officer Chagnon said that he asked Officer Taylor to canvas the area for the woman on foot, which he did. Officer Taylor returned shortly thereafter, reporting that he was unable to locate anyone on foot.

Officer Chagnon walked around to the rear of the house where he observed a 2007 Honda Accord with Massachusetts plates in the backyard. He ran the plates on the Honda and the registration came back revoked for insurance to a black 2001 Audi S8 registered to a Michael Gaudet out of Ridgewood Drive.

“The plates were later seized and returned for destruction,” Officer Chagnon said. Adding, “As I continued to walk around the house, I observed a kitchen knife in the grass by a window next to the garage. As I began to interview both reporting parties regarding this incident, I observed a female walking from [the direction of] the lower house numbers back to where we were. [Robert] confirmed that was the female party in question.”

Officer Chagnon said he made contact with the woman, who appeared “very fidgety and nervous.”

“She told me that she was not going to lie and that there is a bear in the neighborhood, she also advised that she did not do anything wrong and she just wanted to go home,” Officer Chagnon said. “This female party would not identify herself and wished not to speak with me, she told me she is waiting for a ride.”

Officer Chagnon said the woman than began walking toward the discarded sweatshirt in the side yard of 199 Ridgewood Drive in order to retrieve it.

“Due to all my observations thus far and her peculiar behavior, I determined that for officer safety and to prevent this female party from attempting to flee the scene, that I was going to detain her,” Officer Chagnon explained. “I informed Officer Taylor of my intentions, and I informed this female party that she was going to be detained as I continue my investigation.”

Officer Chagnon said he then took control of one of the woman’s arms while Officer Taylor took control of the other.

“This female party stated that we cannot detain her, and she started to pull away in an attempt to disengage from our detainment,” Officer Chagnon said. “We had to escort this female to the ground to be able to successfully detain her.”

Officer Chagnon stated that once the woman was lying face down, he placed handcuffs on her—double locked and checked for tightness—before assisting her to her feet and placing her in the rear of his cruiser.

“I had requested a patrol supervisor to respond to my location but one was not available to do so,” Officer Chagnon said. “Officer Taylor monitored this female party as I continued my investigation. An additional unit was requested to assist.”

Coworker’s account reveals escalating behavior & mental distress

Officer Chagnon said he then spoke with Ian who “seemed to know more about the situation.”

“Ian advised me he knows this female through work (tree company) and that he knows she has been going through some struggles,” Officer Chagnon recounted.

Ian said he was texting her earlier in the night when he was out to dinner with his girlfriend.

“He stated that he later decided to go pick her up to attempt to help her from the situation she was in,”
 Officer Chagnon said. “He advised me he picked her up in Hubbardston around 12:30 a.m. – 1:15 a.m. and returned to 199 Ridgewood Drive. He stated that he resides at 199 Ridgewood Drive but splits time between that residence and his girlfriend’s residence. They were hanging out, he stated, she started to freak out and cause a scene. He offered to drive her home several times but did not get to that point.”

Ian said that the woman then asked to use the bathroom and she walked down the hallway and entered Robert’s room instead.

“[Robert] then became involved in the situation and observed her erratic behavior,” Officer Chagnon said. “I was advised she took an air conditioner unit out of the window in the garage and left through the window. Ian opened the garage door and tried to get her to return the property. They stated when she returned, she took caution tape and wrapped it around her head like a martial arts student would wear a headband.”

Ian said he offered to drive her home, but she didn’t want to go, so he called her an Uber and brought her back outside.

“At some point she ran off and they don’t know where she went after running across the street into a neighbor’s yard,” Officer Chagnon said. “I asked Ian if they had used any narcotics or alcohol tonight, he stated they did not. He also stated they were not in any type of dating relationship.”

Robert stated that shortly after the woman ran off, his ring camera notified him of motion in the backyard.

“He observed a female run around the house and then return, running up the stairs,” Officer Chagnon said.

Robert then informed Ian the woman was trying to come back to their residence and to call the police.

“[Robert] put his hand up to stop her from entering, she stopped, turned around and ran away again,” Officer Chagnon said. “This was when the call was made to police.”

Stolen car, false IDs, and psychiatric hold

Officer Chagnon then asked Robert and Ian about the knife, and they stated they had not seen the woman with it and that she had not made any threats toward them.

Then dispatched called Officer Chagnon to inform him that a caller from 263 Ridgewood Drive called in to report that his vehicle had been stolen.

“Officer Taylor also advised me that this female party was screaming for neighbors to call state police and for the parties not to speak to police,” Officer Chagnon said. “A neighbor, Albert [last name redacted], located at 194 Ridgewood Drive, came outside to see what the commotion was all about.”

Officer Chagnon stated that the woman was informed she was under arrest and was transported to the Leominster Police Department by Officer Carlos Crespo-Delgado, while he remained on scene to continue the investigation.

“Both Ian and Richard stated they do not know the female’s true identity, but they believe her name is Michelle Anderson and she is approximately 28 years old,” Officer Chagnon said. “This information was passed along to the officer in charge because this female was not identifying herself during the booking process as she was giving several different names.”

Officer Chagnon then responded to 263 Ridgewood Drive to speak with Michael Gaudette, the individual who reported his vehicle was stolen.

“Mr. Gaudette advised that he heard a commotion in his backyard,” Officer Chagnon said. “He stated he could hear a party talking about satellites and how she is being followed. He then stated he heard knocking on his rear sliding door. He observed a female outside, she seemed to be frantic and stated that there was a bear outside, so he opened the door and let her in as he believed her to be in danger.”

Gaudette said that once she was inside the woman was acting very erratic and then began walking down the hallway towards his bedroom, at which point he asked her what she was doing.

“He then stated she opened a window and then left through said window,” Officer Chagnon said. “Shortly after, he realized his vehicle’s keys that were on the counter were missing and then he looked outside and noticed his vehicle was missing. He called police to make a police report.”

Officer Chagnon stated that Gaudette had just purchased the vehicle because Gaudette showed him the bill of sale.

“He was advised that the plates were seized due to being revoked, he understood,” Officer Chagnon said. “Mr. Gaudette filled out a stolen motor vehicle form. Dispatch entered it into NCIC [National Crime Information Center] as stolen and then recovered it as the vehicle that was located in the rear yard of 199 Ridgewood Drive. I located the keys to said vehicle in the side yard in the grass where this female party retrieved her sweatshirt from. I had Mr. Gaudette drive the vehicle back to his residence and leave it in the driveway until he could properly register it.”

Officer Chagnon said no damage was done to the vehicle after it was stolen. In his report, he then went on to say that in the yard of 199 Ridgewood Drive where the woman had driven the stolen motor vehicle onto the lawn, he had observed ruts from the tires.

“I looked up the property owner in the Assessor’s Office GIS [Geographic Information System] database and determined a Sheila Roy owns the property,” Officer Chagnon said. “She will be listed as the victim of vandalism done to the landscape of the property.”

Officer Chagnon said police later learned the true identity of the woman through a family member calling Leominster police looking for the woman, who was in their custody.

“Her name is Bessie Anderson,” Officer Chagnon said. Adding, “It was later learned that Bessie has a suspended driver’s license status. Bessie drove a stolen motor vehicle onto a property where it was captured by a ring camera.”

According to police, Bessie E. Anderson, 28, is a resident of Calamint Hill Road N, in Princeton, MA.

Lieutenant Sean Ferguson, the shift commander during Anderson’s booking, stated that she refused to identify herself while being processed.

“She also made comments about being raped, needing a sexual assault kit, and having a severe skull fracture that could kill her if aggravated,” Sgt. Ferguson said. “I attempted to speak with her while she was in the cell to ascertain her pertinent information and if she needed medical attention. She just continued to yell at me, making no sense, and said she would only speak to state police. It was apparent she was either having a medical/mental issue or was under the influence of some substance.”

Sgt. Ferguson said that an ambulance was requested and she was sent to the Emergency Room at Leominster Hospital for evaluation.

“Due to her initial claim of being sexually assaulted, I contacted Detective [Oswaldo] Ramos, and he responded to the hospital as well,” Sgt. Ferguson said.

Detective Ramos responded to the Leominster Hospital Emergency Room where he met with Officer Tanner Jakola.

“Officer Jakola informed me Ms. Anderson had recently been administered medication to calm her down, as she had been displaying extremely erratic behavior, incoherent speech patterns, and fluctuating emotional states,” Det. Ramos said. “Officer Tanner stated that, prior to falling asleep, Ms. Anderson had not made any additional disclosures regarding the alleged assault.”

Detective Ramos said that before entering Anderson’s room, he spoke with a nurse responsible for her care.

“The nurse informed me that Ms. Anderson had not made any statements to either medical staff or the attending physician indicating that she had been sexually assaulted,” Det. Ramos said. “As a result, a sexual assault evidence collection kit was not performed. I then contacted Ms. Anderson in her hospital room.”

In his report, Det. Ramos then noted that Matron Norma Pellechia of the Leominster Police Department was assigned to remain with Anderson during her time in the emergency room.

“The following is a synopsis of my interaction with Ms. Anderson, which was recorded on my department-issued body worn camera,” Det. Ramos continued. “I introduced myself to Ms. Anderson and advised her that I wished to speak with her regarding any statements she may have made about being sexually assaulted. Almost immediately, Ms. Anderson became visibly distressed. She stated that she could not remember what had occurred and that she had ‘blacked out.’ She reiterated this claim multiple times and was unable to provide and specific, actionable details. She added that she was trying to be responsible but remained vague and unfocused throughout the conversation.”

Detective Ramos said that Anderson redirected the conversation to her custodial status and voiced frustrations about being under arrest.

“Her demeanor became increasingly volatile, shifting from crying to yelling and her statements were disorganized, random, and often incoherent,” Det. Ramos said. “I advised Ms. Anderson that, without clear information on specific allegations, there was nothing further I could do to assist her in regard to the reported sexual assault.”

Detective Ramos said that at this point, Anderson became extremely agitated, abruptly sitting up in her gurney and yelling that she had blacked out and could not remember anything.

“Based on her behavior, emotional instability, and inability to provide any coherent account of events, it became evident that Ms. Anderson was not in a suitable mental state to provide a meaningful or credible statement,” Detective Ramos said. “Her cognitive and emotional condition at the time rendered her unable to participate in a productive interview or aid in the initiation of a criminal investigation. Having determined that no further information could be obtained, I concluded the interaction and cleared the emergency room without taking additional police action.”

After she was released from the hospital, Anderson was transferred to Worcester Recovery Center under a Section 18 commitment for involuntary psychiatric hospitalization where she stayed overnight until her arraignment in Leominster District Court the following morning.

“Dr. John Brown and Honorable Meghna Spring issued a sectioned 18 on [Anderson],” Lieutenant Sean Ferguson said. “She was transported to Worcester Recovery Center, which is a secure facility.”

Anderson was charged with the following:

1. Larceny of Motor Vehicle
2. Larceny from Building: (for stealing Gaudette’s keys)
3. Breaking & Entering Daytime for Felony: (victim – Mr. Gaudette)
   • “Ms. Anderson tricked and convinced the victim into her entering the building by stating there was a bear outside,” Officer Chagnon explained. Later adding, “Sunset was at approximately 5:11 p.m., the call was received at approximately 4:46 p.m., making this incident a daytime incident rather than a nighttime incident.”
4. Vandalize Property: (victim – Sheila Roy)
   • “Ms. Anderson drove the stolen motor vehicle into the yard of 199 Ridgewood Drive causing damage to the landscape of the property,” Officer Chagnon said.
5. Arrestee Furnish False ID Information to Law Enforcement: (victim – Sgt. Ryan Morrell)
   • “Ms. Anderson gave several false names to Sgt. Morell during the booking process, failing to identify herself and not identifying herself on scene,” Officer Chagnon said.
6. Disturbing the Peace: (victim – Michael Gaudette)
   • “Ms. Anderson was yelling in the back yard and knocking on the door of 263 Ridgewood Drive, causing the resident to respond and answer the door in the earlier hours of June 1, 2025,” Officer Chagnon said.
7. Disturbing the Peace: (victim – Albert)
   • “Ms. Anderson was screaming for neighbors to call state police while being detained causing the resident of 194 Ridgewood Drive to come outside to see what the commotion was,” Officer Chagnon said.
8. Operating Motor Vehicle with License Suspended
9. Trespass with Motor Vehicle

Anderson was arraigned in Leominster District Court on June 2, 2025. Following her arraignment, she was released on $1,500 bail. She later appeared for a pretrial conference on June 25, followed by a Compliance and Election hearing on July 10, which was continued to August 8, 2025.

Disclaimer: If you are wondering why the incident in this story took place in June, that’s because I had to file FOIA request(s) to obtain the court documents. FOIAs are time-consuming.

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