Following the arrest of Michael Wayne Ballance II, who is facing an open murder charge in the death of his ex-wife and mother of his two children, Summer Dawn Swindell of Havelock, a woman came forward after four years of silence to tell her story of an alleged rape that occurred in 2011 involving Ballance.
The following account was provided by the victim, whose name has been changed to protect her identity. It should be noted that Samantha reported the incident on the day it occurred and it was investigated at the time by the Craven County Sheriffs Office... No charges against Ballance have been filed in this case to date...
In summer 2011, Samantha was invited to a party by a friend she hadnt seen in years. Weeks away from beginning college and moving away from home, she was excited for one last get-together before celebrating the freedom that comes with graduation independence... I was drinking underage, she said. I really didnt know what I was doing. I was combining liquor and beer and I know you arent supposed to do that. And I began to throw up pretty bad. As I am throwing up, Michael, who was engaged to Summer (Swindell) at the time and who I knew, walked up to me.