Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 16, 2024, the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) received a call regarding an alleged assault on a 14-year-old minor by her father.

The defendant was later apprehended and charged with:

Count 1: Assault in the Second Degree with Penalty Enhancement, a class D but with a penalty enhancement by one class above the class otherwise provided (Class C felony) if found guilty.

The defendant’s bail was set at $10,000.

( Samoa News has withheld names of those involved to protect the identity of the victim who is a minor.)

According to the affidavit, on July 16, at around 7:24 p.m, a concerned grandmother of the victim contacted the TPS in regards to her son who allegedly assaulted his 14 year-old daughter by hitting her head with a PVC pipe.

At about 7:30 p.m, police officers responded to the call and upon arrival at the scene they met with the grandmother where she briefed the officers on what happened. The grandmother directed the officers to the bedroom of her son.

The officers also approached the suspect’s wife inquiring the whereabouts of her husband and the wife told the officers that her husband stepped outside the house.

However, the officers were told by the grandmother that her son was inside the room and that he had never came outside. The officers entered the room and observed the suspect hiding inside the closet.

The officers apprehended the suspect and removed the victim who was lying on the bed and brought her outside of the room. One of the officers was able to locate the PVC pipe that the defendant allegedly used to assault the victim.

According to the interview of the victim with her mother present, she was sitting in the living room when her dad told her to move away from the router box because it’s causing the internet to slow down.

The minor stated she refused to move because she didn’t understand why and then the defendant walked into the house holding a PVC pipe and hit her in the head once.

The victim explained she went to her mom who was inside their room, and she felt her head throbbing.

The defendant, who refused to talk about the incident was detained and taken to the TPS, where he was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 41-year-old U.S National.