A man with an axe is accused of chasing a woman.

OCEAN PARK — A woman escaped from a man after he allegedly chased her with an axe in Ocean Park on Aug. 25. The incident reportedly started over an argument about cigarettes and resulted in the woman running for her life.

The alleged victim told an investigating deputy from the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office that the suspect, identified as Richard W. Clark, 35, nearly hit her with the axe as he chased her into her vehicle.

According to court records, Clark allegedly swung the axe at the alleged victim, barely missing her, and hit her vehicle. She was able to call 911 moments later and met with a deputy at the Port of Nahcotta.

“I observed a lot of damage to the rear door,” Deputy Justin Smith states in court records. “Other damages were dents and scratches that were rusting. The new damage to the rear door appeared to be new, free of rust, and consistent with [the alleged victim’s] account of the incident.”

“On the rear driver side door, I observed a 2.5-foot slice splitting the sheet metal on the door, which appears to be consistent with an axe being swung with a lot of force,” Smith added.

The incident was reportedly witnessed by another individual who allegedly backed up the victim’s statement.

“[They] stated that Richard and [the alleged victim] were arguing, and [she] took off running,” Smith stated in court records. “Richard began chasing her with an axe, and [the witness] was yelling at Richard to not do it. [The alleged witness] stated that Richard swung the axe, but [they] could not see if Richard was swinging at [the alleged victim] or the truck.”

Clark was subsequently arrested and booked into the Pacific County Jail for felony harassment and second-degree malicious mischief. His bail was set at $25,000 during a preliminary hearing in the Pacific County Superior Court on Aug. 26. He is scheduled to be formally arraigned on Sept. 6.