Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Former DPS police officer Steven Tuato'o may have ran from local authorities and ducked out on answering the allegations against him but he is now charged in Washington State with one count of Domestic Violence Felony Violation of a Court Order. If convicted, Tuato'o could face a jail term of up to 3 years or a fine.

The King County Attorney General’s Office confirmed to Samoa News via-email that Tuato'o, 43, is still in custody unable to post bail of $185,000.

He is scheduled to appear in Court on May 10th at 1:00 p.m. for a pretrial conference hearing.

According to the court affidavit, Tuato'o was first arrested by King County Police on March 21, 2018 for assaulting his wife.

Tuato'o was slapped with one count of assault. When he appeared before the Federal Way Municipal Court for that case, the court ordered that Tuato'o not make any contact with his wife. He was thereafter released on a $25,000 surety bond.

The court affidavit states that the order was issued in open court on Mar 21, 2018 and set to expire on March 21, 2028.

On April 12, 2018 — three weeks after the order was issued — police arrested Tuato'o again for allegedly assaulting his wife inside their vehicle and inside the house, which resulted in the State filing the new charge of Domestic Violence Felony Violation of a Court Order against him.

Tuato'o made his initial appearance in King County Superior Court where the prosecutor read out the new charge against him and then asked the court to increase Tuatoo’s bail to $100,000 as he believes the $25,000 bail set during his first appearance in court is insufficient to ensure the safety of the victim and the community from the defendant.

“The defendant assaulted the victim in violation of the Domestic Violence no contact order while facing a pending charge for assaulting her from less than a month ago,” according to court filings.

The King County Superior Court Judge granted the State’s motion to increase bail and set the defendant’s bond at $185,000

According to court filings, on Apr. 12, an officer from Kent Police was dispatched to contact a victim in the Kent Police Station lobby, a victim of a No Contact Order Violation. The victim was identified as Tuato'o’s wife, who was accompanied by her sister-in-law (Tuato'o’s sister).

The victim told police that it was during the drive home, after taking their son to school, that Tuato'o began accusing her of having an affair. He became angry and as they neared their home, Tuato'o allegedly struck her in the leg and arm.

Court filings state that when the couple arrived home, Tuato'o continued with his accusations and he also kneed his wife in the leg.

"At one point, Tuato'o backed away but then got up in his wife’s face and began yelling at her. He then allegedly struck her in the nose with a closed fist, which caused her nose to bleed. His wife screamed out in pain.”

Court filings note that Tuato'o's sister was in the home at the time of the incident, and she heard the victim screaming so she went downstairs. That's when Tuato'o exited the house and drove off.

The defendant’s sister told police that she did notice that the victim had a bloody nose.

Tuato'o was later arrested and taken to the Kent Police Station for questioning.

Tuato'o told police he never hit his wife in the vehicle but he did hit her in the house.

He admitted to police that he kneed his wife in the leg, and he punched her in the nose.

“I meant it to be a fake but I did hit her in the nose," Tuato'o told police, adding, “I was surprised by the blood.”

According to the King County Prosecutor's Office, the status of Tuato'o being a fugitive "will be largely dependent on the progress of that case.”

A spokesperson also told Samoa News that DPS has never contacted them or the police department in an effort to bring Tuato'o back to the territory to answer the charges against him.