Lynn Woman Pleads Guilty In Swampscott Racial Attack

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Lynn woman accused of shouting racial insults at three Black families and nearly hitting them with her car outside The Cookie Monstah bakeshop in Swampscott last summer pleaded guilty on Tuesday to eight counts of civil rights violations and eight counts of assault with a deadly weapon.

Judge Jean Curran sentenced Rhonda Wozniak, 61, to nine months of probation during which
she must perform 40 hours of community service, stay away from and have no contact with the victims, and seek or maintain employment.

Wozniak was accused in July 2020 of speeding toward the three Black women and their five children and nearly hitting them after they left the bakeshop. When the women asked Wozniak to slow down, the Essex County District Attorney's office said she shouted racial insults and slurs at them, telling them to "Go back where they belong."

"Where do we belong?" the DA's office said one of the children asked her mother.

The three mothers provided statements to the court about the incident's impact on their children, who were ages 5 through 12 at the time.

Essex Assistant District Attorney Jenn Capone recommended a guilty verdict, one year of probation and 100 hours of community service. The defense requested that the case be continued without a finding for six months.

"The defendant's actions were harmful and offensive, not only to the victims, but also to the community at large," Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said in a statement.

Swampscott police identified Wozniak through the license plate one of the women captured on her camera and through surveillance camera footage from a nearby store.

"I am thankful to the Swampscott police and my staff who ensured that the victims were heard and that the defendant was held accountable for her criminal behavior," Blodgett said.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)