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Man accused of assault pleas to lesser charge

Territorial Correctional Facility, TCF
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 30-year-old man accused of using a sharp weapon to cause head injuries to another man has pled guilty. Fa’avae Tagaloa was initially charged with felony first degree assault, punishable by life in prison or at least 30 years. But under a plea agreement with the government, Tagaloa pled guilty to second degree assault - still a felony - but punishable by no more than 5 years in jail, a fine of not more than $5,000 or both.

He remains in custody at the TCF and will be sentenced Dec. 6th

With his guilty plea, Tagaloa admits that sometime on Sept. 02, 2018 he used a sharp metal piece to assault a man on the head.

According to terms of the plea agreement, Tagaloa was told by a family member that his nephew was assaulted by their 26-year-old neighbor. Enraged, Tagaloa went to his neighbor’s home, punched him in the face, and struck his head several times with a piece of metal.

The victim sustained a big gash on his head and was admitted to the LBJ Hospital where he spent 8 days in the Surgical Ward. According to the hospital report, 12 stitches were needed to close the cut on the victim’s head. The government is recommending probation and $456.03 restitution to cover the victim’s medical bills.