Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On December 16, 2023, at about 4:53am, a woman contacted the Tafuna Police Station (TPS) to report an alleged assault by her boyfriend. The victim claimed that the suspect punched her and hit her face and head multiple times.

The defendant was charged with the following:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV) — a class C misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen (15) days, a fine of $300 but not less than $150, or both.

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree (DV) — a class A misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both.

Bail was set at $500.

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

Police officers immediately responded upon receiving the call from the victim for assistance regarding the alleged assault. When arriving at the victim’s home in Kokoland, police officers met with the victim who explained that the defendant came home intoxicated in the early hours of the morning on Saturday, December 16, 2023.

According to the affidavit, the victim said that she was scared because the suspect was yelling, threatening her, and demanded that she have sexual intercourse with him. The victim further stated that she refused and went to bed. However, the defendant grabbed her hand and told her to take her clothes off.

The victim pushed him out of the room and told him to get some rest, which angered the defendant. He (suspect) began cursing and swearing at her, yelling for her to open the door to the room.

To prevent the defendant from causing an even louder disturbance in the home that doesn’t belong to them (home belongs to the defendant’s friend), she opened the door to the room. It was then that the suspect hit her behind the head, causing her to fall to the floor facedown. The suspect continued to punch her and hit her in the left eye until she lay on the floor, unconscious.

The victim explained “as the defendant was punching her, she heard her four-year old daughter screaming and telling the defendant to stop, but the defendant refused and kept hitting the victim with a closed fist.” She further stated “as she was pinned on the floor defenseless, she heard the defendant yelling at her 4-year old daughter, telling her to shut up.”

When the victim regained her strength, she fought off the defendant and pushed him to the ground to protect her daughter from the defendant. She then grabbed her daughter and ran to safety, and called the TPS for assistance.

Police officers questioned the victim about the relationship between her daughter and the defendant. The victim explained that the defendant is not her daughter’s biological father.

The affidavit further stated that the “victim mentioned that she’s been dating the defendant for almost a month, but she never thought that something like this would happen between them.”

The defendant was transported to the TPS where he was Mirandized. In his statement he admitted to hitting his girlfriend “because she was yelling at him about him coming late and drunk.” He also explained that he was mad because the victim did not want to open the door to their room.

The defendant was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF) awaiting the next sitting of the District Court.

The suspect was identified as a citizen of Samoa.

DEON TAYLOR

On December 15, 2023, Deon Taylor contacted the Tafuna Police Station (TPS) regarding his father, Joseph Taylor (suspect) causing a disturbance at their residence in Fagaima.

The defendant was charged with the following:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV) — a class C misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen (15) days, a fine of $300, or both.

Bail for the defendant was set at $300.

Police officers responded to the call received from Deon Taylor who briefly explained the situation. The victim claimed that his father (suspect) was intoxicated. He (suspect) started to yell out profanities and hit the walls of their house.

Joseph Taylor was booked and confined to await the next sitting of District Court. While he was being booked, officers detected a strong odor of alcohol emitting from his breath and his eyes were bloodshot.

The defendant was identified as a U.S. National.