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Man charged for alleged assault of wife and holding her against her will

The government is conducting further investigation to determine if felony charges should be filed against a man who assaulted his wife and held her inside a room against her will for several hours.

Samoa News is withholding the name of the defendant to protect the identity of the victim in this matter.

According to the government’s case the victim contacted police around 5 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2012 and reported that she was beaten by her husband, who accused her of having an affair.

The victim told police that she was one her way home from work when her husband waved her down at the dispensary in Leone and asked her to move over to the passenger side while he drove.

The victim said she was instructed to exit the vehicle and she was surprised that the defendant pulled her hair and slapped her three times on the face.

The defendant then allegedly held his wife by the neck, threw her to the ground and threatened to kill her. It's alleged the defendant took the victim to his house where he kept her in his bedroom for the entire night until almost 5 a.m. the next morning.

The victim told police that she abided with what her husband wanted in case he harmed her.

Police searched for the defendant at his residence but they were unsuccessful and upon telling the victim they had yet to locate the defendant the victim begged the officers to keep searching for the defendant. Police said the victim was terrified of her husband.

The following police shift was made aware of the situation and they continued searching for the defendant who was later apprehended. Court filings state prior to the defendant being arrested he continuously contacted the victim and threatened her and her mother over the phone.

The defendant made his initial appearance in the District Court on Wednesday morning and is represented by Assistant Public Defender Donna Clement.