Woman High On Meth Stabs Man in the Neck, Steals Cop Car

Portland, OR - Tara Elizabeth Axmaker, high on meth, stabbed a man in the back in the wee hours of March 15, 2013, at a Mulino-area home. When Clackamas County deputies arrived, they found the bloody victim but no Axmaker. As deputies scoured the crime scene, Axmaker climbed behind the wheel of a responding deputy's patrol car and led the cops on a "Dukes of Hazzard" pursuit down back roads and around blind curves. The chase, and Axmaker's expletive-filled running commentary, was captured on the patrol car's video cameras and on police radio. She drove without headlights at speeds that hit 121 mph, finally driving off Oregon 213 as she careened toward Molalla. Miraculously, no one was injured as Axmaker meandered into the oncoming traffic lane, ignored stop signs and evaded her pursuers. The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office released the video this week in response to a public records request submitted in October by The Oregonian. Axmaker pleaded guilty Oct. 15 in Clackamas County Circuit Court to first-degree assault for the attack and to aggravated theft and attempting to elude police. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Throughout the 11-minute ride, Axmaker can be heard on singing, swearing and carrying on an incoherent monologue. The audio is sometimes muffled, because Axmaker was sitting on the microphone. "We're on a high-speed chase (expletive)," she said as she began her misadventure. The bizarre incident was reminiscent of a 2010 incident. Axmaker, high on meth, stabbed a Canby man in the back. She pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree assault and was sentenced to four years in prison.