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Man arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife

American Samoa District Court building
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Early this week, a 45-year-old man made his initial appearance in District Court on two misdemeanor counts of third degree assault and private peace disturbance after he allegedly assaulted his wife.

The defendant is a Samoa national who works as a carpenter to support his wife and 6 young children.

Court information states that the defendant had consumed alcohol at the time he is alleged to have assaulted his wife last Thursday, and that the incident occurred after the husband arrived home that day and noticed some family issues that were not taken care of by his wife.

Thereafter, says the court affidavit, the defendant allegedly started yelling at his wife and this escalated to a heated argument between the couple.

The husband then allegedly hit his wife in the face, pulled her hair, and pushed her down on the floor. He also threatened to kill her if she notified the police.

However, the wife’s loud screams for help prompted neighbors to call police for assistance. The defendant was taken into custody and appeared last Tuesday in District Court.

The wife told police that this was not the first time her husband has assaulted her in front of her children.

While the defendant is released on his own recognizance, the court has ordered that he find another place to stay while his case is pending in court. He is also ordered not to make direct or indirect contact with his wife without the court’s permission.

To protect the identity of the victims in domestic cases, Samoa News does not identify the defendants by name.

The defendant is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 30, 2018 for his pretrial conference. The defendant’s case is now transferred to the Family, Drug & Alcohol (FDA) court.