Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — At about midnight on January 10, 2024, a woman contacted the FPS regarding an alleged assault on her by her husband at their home in Amouli. The woman who was five months pregnant at the time, claimed to have been hit on the head with an electric fan by the defendant.

The defendant was charged with the following:

Count 1: Assault in the Second Degree (DV) — a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of not more than five (5) years, a fine of not more than $5000, but not less than $150, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Private Peace Disturbance (DV) — a class C misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment of not more than fifteen (15) days and a fine of not more than $300, but not less than $150, or both imprisonment and fine.

Bail for the defendant was set at $10,000.

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

Upon arrival at the scene, officers met with the victim who briefed them on the incident. Police officers offered to contact EMS for medical assistance, however the victim refused.

In her verbal statement, the victim expressed that the incident began with her husband asking for the whereabouts of the car keys. When the victim told the defendant that she did not know where they were, the defendant became angry and lashed out by damaging their air conditioner.

“He then turned and unplugged the electric fan, hitting the victim on the head multiple times.”

According to the affidavit, the victim fell as she tried to push the suspect away. “The defendant pulled her hair and stood on her head while she was unconscious on the ground.”

It was then that her three children ran towards their mother and pleaded for the defendant to “get off of their mother.” When the defendant’s mother rushed into the room, she tried to push the defendant away from the victim.

She then contacted the FPS for assistance, however when the defendant heard that his mother was reporting him, he fled the scene. The victim also revealed that she was five months pregnant.

The defendant’s mother provided her verbal statement, in which she stated that she was in the living room when she heard a noise coming from her son and wife’s room. She decided to check on what all the commotion was about and saw “the victim lying on the ground while the defendant was hitting her and pulling her hair multiple times.” And, that’s when she tried to remove the defendant by pushing him away from the victim.

As police officers were combing the area in search of the defendant, they were waved down by a male individual — who turned out to actually be the suspect. Officers then placed him in the police unit and transported the defendant to the FPS.

The defendant was Mirandized and confessed that he had hit his wife with an electrical fan.