‘Love triangle’ turns violent when woman attacks rival with bat, NC sheriff says

A trailer park “love triangle” went from volatile to explosive when a woman armed with a metal bat went after her romantic rival, according to investigators in eastern North Carolina.

It happened around 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Sandy Ridge Mobile Home Park near New Bern, and ended with the alleged assailant and her get-away driver in jail, the Craven County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 12 news release.

“Deputies responding to the scene found a (female) homeowner who had been assaulted with a baseball bat. The suspect fled before authorities arrived,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“According to the victim, the altercation stemmed from a ‘love triangle’ involving the suspect and the homeowner’s boyfriend.”

Court documents report the victim suffered serious injuries in the attack.

An investigation revealed the suspect to be 21-year-old Speciale Sanders of New Bern, who fled the crime scene in a vehicle driven by a 25-year-old acquaintance, officials said.

The two women were found and arrested at an intersection about six miles northeast of the trailer park, officials said.

Sanders was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, and served with outstanding warrants for misdemeanor larceny and second-degree trespass, the sheriff’s office said.

Her companion was charged with felony possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. And she was served with outstanding warrants for felony probation violations, the sheriff’s office said.

New Bern is about a 115-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh.