Highwaymen Rob, Beat, Stab Woman

A 52-year-old Port Townsend, Wash., woman, beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed repeatedly in an apparent highway attack, was hospitalized Thursday in stable condition.

Linda Welsh Lebrane was stabbed 13 times in the neck, chest and back after being forced off a highway while driving through Canyon County early Thursday morning, authorities said.

She underwent surgery at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center.

Authorities said Lebrane told them a man forced his way into the driver’s seat of her car after she was forced off the road. The man drove her to a remote area where they were joined by two other men and a woman. They allegedly attacked and robbed Lebrane before leaving her for dead.

The attackers set Lebrane’s car on fire, which attracted three passers-by, who heard Lebrane yelling for help. They dragged her away from the burning vehicle and stayed with her until sheriff’s deputies and medics arrived.