T-ball stabbing suspect faces attempted murder charge

The scene at a small-town T-ball game in Johnston County suddenly erupted into chaos Tuesday night when a man attacked his girlfriend with a knife, an eyewitness said Wednesday.

Posted 2:24 p.m. Jun 4, 2012 — Updated 2:24 p.m. Jun 4, 2012

BENSON, N.C. — Charges against a Johnston County man accused of stabbing his girlfriend at a T-ball game last week have been upgraded to attempted first-degree murder.

Johnston County sheriff's deputies said that Kendall Montrell Basker, 23, argued with his girlfriend, 21-year-old Brittany Radford, and then stabbed her several times in the neck during a T-ball game by 4- and 5-year-olds at Meadow Elementary School on May 29. Several parents wrestled Basker to the ground and held him until authorities arrived.

In addition to attempted murder, Basker was charged with communicating threats, criminal trespassing, injury to property and a probation violation.

Radford is expected to recover. Witnesses said the couple's three children were all at the T-ball game when she was attacked.

Basker was on probation for a 2010 felony drug conviction and has served nearly four months in jail for violating probation for 2008 convictions for assaulting a female and violating a restraining order, according to state Division of Adult Correction records. He also served probation for a 2006 misdemeanor assault conviction.

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