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Man arrested for allegedly attempting to sexually assault his neighbor charged with a PPD

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man who unlawfully entered a home with the intention of sexually assaulting a woman who was sleeping in the living room is now in custody after he was arrested by police two months ago.

Ioelu Fatu made his initial appearance in Court two months ago.

He is charged with one count of attempted burglary in the second-degree, a class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both; along with one count of public peace disturbance (PPD), a misdemeanor.

Bail is set at $5,000.

THE CASE

It was around 9 p.m, Feb. 14, 2022, when a man contacted the TPS requesting police assistance at his residence in the Tafuna area regarding a male  who tried to break into his house.

Several police officers responded to the call and met up with the man in front of his house and he explained to officers what had occurred.

He told police that he was at his work place in Nu’uuli when he received a call from his wife (victim) stating that someone had tried to break into the house while they were sleeping. He told police that he asked his wife if she knew who it was and his wife said yes, “it’s Fatu,” the defendant in this matter.

Fatu lives right next to the victim’s house with his cousin, who is also the defendant’s sponsor.

The man directed police officers to his patio where the suspect was located. The defendant was apprehended and transported to TPS for questioning.

Officers interviewed the victim and her mother, who were both at the house during the alleged incident.

The victim stated in her written statement that she was sleeping when her mother came outside telling her to call her husband. That’s when she heard her mother calling the defendant’s name, who was walking in front of the house, asking him what was he doing at the back of their house. The victim further stated that she felt that someone was stalking her at home.

The victim’s mother was also interviewed and told officers that she was in the room on her bed playing games on her tablet when she noticed a strong wind coming from the window. She looked up and saw a male’s head peeking inside the window. She immediately went outside and saw the individual walking towards the road.

When questioned by police, the defendant stated that around 8:30p.m on the night of the alleged incident, he was getting ready to go to a party held in Kokoland. However, while walking to the front, he changed his mind immediately and wanted to have sex. That’s when he saw the victim sleeping in her living room. He then walked to the back of the house, opened the back window, jumped up and peeked inside. While he was doing so, he saw the victim’s mother sitting on the bed.

He jumped back down and started walking to the front of the house. While he was in the front, he heard the victim’s mother calling him and asking what was he doing at the back.

The defendant stated that his intention was to peek at the victim, and he further stated that he was trying to get into the house to force the victim to have sex with him, because his feelings towards the victim was strong to the point where he wanted to have sex with her.

According to the defendant’s statement to officers, he has had feelings towards the victim for about two months because of the way she dresses — wearing short shorts and tank tops that show her chest.

The defendant was later booked and confined at TCF to wait the next sitting of court.