Port Hadlock man facing assault charge after allegedly forcing ex-girlfriend off highway

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A Port Hadlock man pleaded not guilty Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court to a felony claim that he tried to run his ex-girlfriend off the road during a “rolling domestic situation” that started on Highway 20, then continued to US Highway 101 and Highway 104.

Makaio Devonte Atkins-Taylor, 19, and was arrested just before 1 a.m. Sunday, March 27 by a Jefferson County deputy and booked later that morning into Jefferson County Jail.

Deputies had been called to US 101 and Uncas Road just before 12:30 a.m. March 27.

A man who called 911 dispatchers said he was driving on US 101; his girlfriend was following behind him in another vehicle, when the woman’s ex, later identified as Atkins-Taylor, began following her and allegedly tried to “run her off the roadway at high speeds,” according to court documents.

At one point, authorities said Atkins-Taylor recklessly passed his ex-girlfriend then stopped the Subaru Legacy he was driving, forcing the woman to stop her Mazda, back it up into oncoming traffic, and go into the other lane to avoid a collision.

The woman claimed Atkins-Taylor drove into the oncoming lane and up to her driver’s side door several times, trying to force her to the side of the road.

The woman’s boyfriend was eventually able to get his car between the woman and her ex, according to court papers, and they continued south on US 101 and went east on Highway 104 as the boyfriend called 911.

A responding deputy found the three vehicles near Highway 104 and Highway 19, and saw the Subaru abruptly turn onto Highway 19 as the other cars kept going east on Highway 104.

Another deputy on Highway 19 pulled over Atkins-Taylor.

The woman told authorities that she and her boyfriend had been headed toward Port Townsend to find a hotel for the night, and said she had been at her former boyfriend’s home earlier and that they were just friends now.

She also said she noticed Atkins-Taylor following her car about 10 or 15 minutes later when she was on Highway 20 near Howard Street.

In a statement, the woman said she was bothered by Atkins-Taylor showing up because she didn’t think he knew where she was going and thought he was stalking her using Snapchat maps linked to her phone. She also recalled another incident where he showed up when he should have not known where she was.

Atkins-Taylor allegedly told a deputy that he had just been worried about the woman “and was trying to see if she was OK.”

He also claimed he was the woman’s current boyfriend, and that the other man was an ex.

When a deputy asked why he tried to force her off the road, he said the other pair were the ones who had started driving erratically, and that he was just trying to get home. When asked to explain why he had followed them down Highway 20, onto US 101, and then to Highway 104, he didn’t have an answer, but said he was going to head back to her home in Discovery Bay to make sure she was OK.

Atkins-Taylor was charged with second-degree assault (with sentencing enhancements of domestic violence and deadly weapon) and reckless driving.

Atkins-Taylor, who had earlier been released on bail, entered pleadings of not guilty to both charges before Court Commissioner Eileen Baratuci.

Baratuci was asked by Lillian Powers, an attorney representing Atkins-Taylor, that a condition of Atkins-Taylor’s release — that he not drive a vehicle — be modified so he could drive to work. Powers presented a letter from Atkins-Taylor’s employer that noted his business would be impacted by the restriction.

Powers noted that the charges were just allegations and that Atkins-Taylor has the presumption of innocence.

While he has gotten speeding tickets in the past, “he doesn’t have any criminal history,” Powers said.

Prosecutors opposed the suggested change, and said the allegation of using a deadly weapon during the assault was based on how Atkins-Taylor used the Subaru Legacy during the incident.

Baratuci noted that Atkins-Taylor had said his work requires him to drive as far away as Snoqualmie Pass, and indicated the request to allow him to drive to work was too broad.

The trial on the charges was set to start June 27.

Conviction of second-degree assault can result in a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a $20,000 fine. Conviction of reckless driving can result in a maximum penalty of 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.