A 21-year-old Springfield man pleaded not guilty Monday to four charges after allegedly trespassing for the third time on the sprawling Leverett estate once owned by Yankee Candle founder Michael J. Kittredge II, in an encounter that ended with a Taser, pepper spray and a trip to the hospital. Joshua M. Rucks-Smith was arraigned in Orange District Court on single counts of assault and battery on a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and vandalizing property.
A 21-year-old Springfield man pleaded not guilty Monday to four charges stemming from an alleged third trespass on the Leverett estate once owned by Yankee Candle founder Michael J. Kittredge II. The encounter left a police officer with temporary respiratory and vision problems and ended with the man being taken to a hospital. Joshua M. Rucks-Smith was arraigned in Orange District Court on single counts of assault and battery on a police officer, trespassing, resisting arrest and vandalizing property. According to the Greenfield Recorder, Officer Andrew Nepal was called to the 60-acre property at 12:26 p.m. Friday after its facility manager reported a masked trespasser. The police report says Rucks-Smith told Nepal he lived there when the officer first made contact. Nepal then told Rucks-Smith he was trespassing and had to comply with instructions; Rucks-Smith began walking away.
The police report describes Rucks-Smith walking on and off the private roadway as Nepal followed in his cruiser. After Nepal requested backup, Massachusetts State Police troopers and Amherst police officers responded. When Nepal was about 20 feet behind him, Rucks-Smith allegedly moved toward the officer with a clenched fist.
Stun Gun, Pepper Spray Deployed During Struggle
Nepal used his stun gun twice, but it did not incapacitate Rucks-Smith, according to the police report. Rucks-Smith allegedly struck Nepal with both fists; Nepal struck back with his hands in self-defense, and the two briefly struggled on the ground before Nepal used pepper spray. The officer reportedly experienced temporary respiratory and vision problems after the spray got in his eyes.
Rucks-Smith then broke away and began walking again, with Nepal following until Amherst Police Officer Edward Bennington arrived and made the arrest, the same report notes. Leverett EMS evaluated Rucks-Smith at the scene, though he declined treatment, and EMS personnel helped Nepal wash out his eyes with a cleaning solution.
Benjamin Peters accompanied Rucks-Smith in an ambulance to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, according to the police report. During the ride, Rucks-Smith allegedly referred to the former Kittredge property as his own and acknowledged that he had come at Nepal. Peters told him it was his third trespass and that he could not enter property that did not belong to him; Rucks-Smith allegedly responded that he would keep going back. Nepal also obtained photographs that the report says showed Rucks-Smith had entered by prying open the estate’s south gate.
Bail Set at $100, Separate Warrant Pending
Rucks-Smith is being held at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction on $100 bail, the Recorder reported. He also has an outstanding warrant out of Springfield for assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. He is scheduled to return to Orange District Court for a pretrial conference on Nov. 24.
The potential penalties vary substantially. For an offense that includes an attempt to disarm a police officer, the Massachusetts assault-and-battery-on-a-police-officer statute, published by the Massachusetts General Court, allows up to 10 years in state prison or a fine of up to $1,000 and imprisonment for up to 2 1/2 years in a jail or house of correction; these penalties do not automatically apply to every charge under the statute. The state’s trespassing statute, also published by the Massachusetts General Court, sets a maximum penalty of a $100 fine, up to 30 days in jail, or both.
A Mansion Built for a Candle Fortune, Now Off the Market
The estate once belonged to Michael J. Kittredge II, who built Yankee Candle into a national brand before his death in 2019. The sprawling property includes a main home and guest residence, as well as extensive recreation and wellness facilities, including a spa building, gym, indoor tennis court and indoor water park, the Recorder reported.
The Kittredge estate first hit the market for $23 million in the summer of 2022, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. It ultimately sold for a fraction of that asking price — $4.55 million — on May 26 to Juggler Meadow LLC, whose manager is David Reasoner of Saddle River, New Jersey. Reasoner is the PGA Head Professional at Ridgewood Country Club in Ridgewood, New Jersey, the Gazette reported.
The sale ended a contentious redevelopment chapter for the property. Proposals floated in November 2024 called for housing on the site, including one version with 48 homes on the Leverett side and 352 homes in Amherst, according to the Gazette. The Gazette reported that a representative had said the buyer intended to keep the estate intact as a private residence, with no changes or development planned.
What town officials knew about the sale
At the time of its report on the sale, the Daily Hampshire Gazette said Leverett Town Hall had not been officially notified about the transaction or how the property might be used.
