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Alleged domestic violence upsets neighborhood

Tafuna Police Station
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 25, 2024, Tafuna Police Substation received a call reporting an incident of alleged domestic violence. Upon arrival at the scene, the suspect fled the scene and he is still at large.

The suspect was later charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Second Degree (DV), a class D felony punishable by a term imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of $5,000, or both; and,

Count 2: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $50,000.

(Samoa News has withheld names of those involved to protect the identity of the victim and minor in this case.)

According to the affidavit, on October 25th, at approximately 6:35 p.m., TPS received a call from a concerned neighbor reporting a domestic violence incident involving a woman who had been allegedly assaulted by her husband.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival, they met with the reporter who briefed them about the incident. The reporter stated that her husband had escorted the victim to her residence to change clothes, as the victim was soaking wet.

The officers then proceeded to locate the suspect at the victim’s residence, where the neighbor suggested the suspect might be. The attempt to locate the suspect at this time was unsuccessful and the suspect was still at large.

Shortly after, the reporter’s husband and the victim arrived where the officers met up with the reporter and provided additional information to the officers.

The victim was transported to the TPS for further investigation, while the reporter’s husband and the victim’s son were advised to meet at the TPS using their own vehicle. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was also requested for assistance at the TPS for treatment.

Upon arrival at the TPS, the officers documented the victim’s injuries by taking photographs. The victim sustained a large lump on her head and minor bruising on the back of her left leg that resulted from the assault.

The victim provided both verbal and written statements. EMS arrived shortly after and treated the victim where she was subsequently released.

According to the victim, upon arriving home from work, she noticed her laundry was deliberately placed outside the house. The victim alleged that it was thrown out by her husband who was later identified as the suspect.

She then directed her son to help her get her laundry. The suspect confronted her and asked if she bought him cigarettes. The victim stated that she told her husband that she hadn’t bought any cigarettes because she didn’t have any money.

The suspect became angry and grabbed the broom and aggressively began hitting her with it — she sustained a lump on her head. The victim also explained that her son intervened and stopped the suspect from getting at her.

She then returned to washing her clothes, but the suspect approached her again, this time wielding a 2X4 lumber and struck her twice on her leg. The victim claimed that she sustained bruises on her left leg from the second beating. Her son intervened again and pleaded with the suspect to stop.

However, the victim claimed that the defendant threatened her and told her “I will come with the knife and cut you.” She stated she was extremely scared because this was repeated behavior, impacting her and her children.

Fearing for her life, the victim explained she instructed her son to inform their church president and wife (reporter) to come help them, and they picked them up. The victim also disclosed that the defendant had been previously incarcerated for a similar incident.

A witness was also interviewed where he stated that he was heading to a church activity with his family when his wife’s phone rang. He answered the call and found out it was the victim’s son, who asked if they could pick up his mother. The witness stated that after picking up the victim, they took her to the church chapel where the victim informed him of what had happened.

At this point, his wife called the TPS to report the incident. The witness also mentioned that this was not the first time he had offered intervention to this family, referring to the issues between the victim and her husband.

Another witness was also interviewed, and he recalled the suspect hitting the victim with various objects, including a broomstick and a piece of lumber.

He explained that this type of behavior has become the norm in the household. The witness stated that on the day of the incident, the victim returned home from work and the suspect confronted the victim. The suspect later assaulted the victim with a broomstick and later again with a 2X4 piece of lumber. The witness stated he intervened and tried to separate them by pushing the suspect away. The suspect cursed at him for intervening. The witness verified that it was not the first time that the suspect had physically assaulted the victim and he noted that this has been an ongoing issue in their family.

The victim and her children were placed in the Social Services shelter for their safety while the suspect was still at large.

The defendant is identified as a 44-year-old U.S National.