Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man was arrested for PPD and burglary after his ex-girlfriend, who claimed she was afraid he might hurt her, reported him to police.

The defendant was charged with the following:

Count 1: Burglary in the Second Degree — a class C felony punishable by imprisonment of not more than seven (7) years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both;

Count 2: Stealing — a class c felony punishable by imprisonment of not more than seven (7) years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both; and,

Count 3: Public Peace Disturbance — a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six (6) months, a fine of $500, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $3,000.

(Due to the victim having a child, Samoa News has not released the name of the defendant or victim in this case.)

On June 1, 2024 at about 10:33am, a woman contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) for assistance with her ex-boyfriend who was allegedly disturbing the peace at the victim’s residence in Nu'uuli.

The victim requested that police officers remove the suspect from her home saying she feared that he would physically hurt her.

Police officers were able to make contact with the suspect at his family residence in Nu'uuli and informed him of the reported incident in the presence of his father.

It was observed that the defendant “sustained a swollen cheekbone (left side), swollen nose, and a laceration injury on the side of his nose.”

When police questioned where the suspect’s injuries were sustained, the suspect claimed that “he was injured from a gardening job he had early in the morning.” The suspect further explained that “he was waiting on the victim at her apartment so he could get his wallet and bank card.”

Police officers noted that the suspect and victim were no longer in a relationship, however the suspect held on to the victim’s 14kt gold bangle in exchange for his wallet.

The defendant claimed to have approached the victim as her vehicle arrived at the apartment building, yet “she backed up her vehicle and drove away.” The defendant denied stopping her from leaving.

Police officers then informed the defendant that his wallet would be retrieved and returned to him and Alaia was advised not to bother the victim “any time in the future”.

Officers spoke to the victim at the TPS where “she disclosed a burglary upon returning to her apartment on the same date this reported incident occurred and other prior incidents leading on to this reported case involving the defendant.”

The victim explained that she discovered the occurrence of the break-in, after she returned home from a night out with her sister and sleeping at a friend’s house.

She said that she and the defendant ended their relationship two weeks prior. On June 1, as she returned to her apartment, “she saw the defendant standing in front of her driveway” which was when she “immediately reversed her vehicle in fear that the defendant would hurt her.”

The victim further stated that this was not the first time that the defendant had stalked her. She voiced her concern as she shared how the defendant approached her vehicle and tried to open the passenger side but could not get it to open.

According to the affidavit, “the defendant then jumped on the hood of her vehicle and swearing profanity words towards her while the neighbors looked.”

The victim did not stop the vehicle and it was then that the victim drove to a safe place and contacted the TPS to assist her in removing the defendant from her residence.

Once the victim was informed that the defendant was no longer near her apartment building, she drove back and discovered that her place had been burglarized.

The victim noticed that her iPhone charger and passport were missing from the kitchen counter. As she approached her daughter’s bedroom she noticed holes in the wall.

There was a wooden stick that was used to block the sliding window frame from opening that was out of its place. It was then that the victim realized that the screen wire and glass frame were opened.

As the victim searched her home, she noticed several of her belongings were missing. According to the victim’s statement, “an Apple wrist watch was missing from the bathroom sink,” and she discovered dry blood in the bathroom sink, and the shower was wet as if someone had just taken a shower there.

The victim recalled an incident that occurred on the previous day at about 5:00am where she stopped at a store and noticed the suspect exiting his vehicle. It was then that she “reversed her vehicle and left” but was followed by the vehicle that she saw her ex-boyfriend exiting. The victim was afraid and became “suspicious when the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road which blocked her lane.”

The suspect exited the vehicle and approached her vehicle and “forcibly opened the driver’s side door”. The suspect then went as far as to snatch her phone while swearing at the victim. The victim managed to retrieve her phone from the defendant later in the day.

Officers apprehended the defendant at his residence and conducted an interview, in regards to the incident that was reported by the victim. The victim’s belongings that were reported stolen were discovered in the suspect’s backpack along with jewelry that the victim was not aware was missing from her apartment. It was also revealed that the suspect’s wallet that was claimed to have been taken by the victim was also in the suspect’s backpack.

The suspect was Mirandized and admitted to approaching the victim on the road. The suspect claimed to have taken the victim’s phone “because he was hurt that he saw another guy in her vehicle.”

The suspect also admitted to “jumping on the hood of the victim’s vehicle to stop her from leaving but he denied any involvement in the burglary.”

The defendant was booked at the TPS and later confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next sitting of District Court.

Police officers noted that the value of stolen items listed by the victim totaled $720.

The suspect was identified as a 26-year-old US National.