A former city police detective is recovering after being stabbed early Thursday morning, The Rant has learned.
Officers responded to the west Sanford home of Darla and Michael Cole around 12:40 a.m. on Thursday and found Darla Cole suffering from “multiple” knife wounds, and her husband Michael with what were described as minor injuries.
A juvenile in the home, not identified by police due to his age, was taken into custody at the scene and charged with juvenile petitions for assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting an officer.
The suspect was taken to a juvenile facility, where he was placed in “secure custody,” according to a SPD news release.
Darla Cole was taken to Central Carolina Hospital, where she was listed Thursday afternoon in stable condition. Michael Cole was treated for his injuries at the scene.
The Rant has obtained a screenshot of what appears to be the juvenile’s Snapchat on which he shared a photo of a hand holding a wooden cross and the caption “God help me I just killed my mother.” In the photo, blood is visible on the subject’s legs, and a knife is present on the floor. The Rant will not publish the photo due to its graphic nature.
Darla Cole retired in 2020 after a second stint as a detective with the Sanford Police Department, and for a time served as chief of the now-defunct Lee County Schools Special Police Department.