Father arrested after allegedly beating his son to discipline him

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On January 30, 2025, Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) received a call from an elementary school counselor who reported that a 10-year-old boy was allegedly beaten from home.

The victim had visible bruises all over his body and they contacted the authorities for assistance.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both imprisonment and fine;

Count 2: Assault in the Third Degree (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both; and,

Count 3: Endangering the Welfare of a Child (DV), a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000., or both.

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

According to the affidavit, on January 30th,  at approximately 10:05 a.m., an elementary school counselor contacted the TPS to report that a student appeared to have been badly beaten.

The authorities responded to the elementary school and upon arrival, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was already treating the victim who was later released.

Police officers met with the school vice principal and counselor who directed them to the victim’s location.

Upon entering the room, the officers found the victim with his mother. Authorities observed that the victim appeared fearful and in pain. His right facial area was swollen and red.

(The affidavit is not clear if the suspect (the victim’s father) and the child’s grandmother were also at the school, but does mention that both the suspect and grandmother were taken in to TPS, with the father being interviewed and then confined.)

The officers escorted the victim and his mother to the police unit.

One of the officers proceeded to interview the reporting teacher who stated that as class was about to begin, he noticed that the victim was resting his head on his desk.

When he asked the victim if he was okay, his classmates responded in Samoan saying that “his body is injured”. He approached the victim, who told him that his father had beaten him up.

At that point he noticed that the victim’s face was swollen and red. Further, the victim appeared scared and that’s when he took the victim to the office where the counselor contacted the police for assistance.

The victim and his grandmother were transported to the TPS for further investigation, with the suspect and the victim’s mother placed in a separate police units and also taken to TPS.

Upon arrival, the officers took photographs of the victim’s injuries, which were severe.

The victim had bruises on his right arm, back and right facial area. Due to the extent of his injuries particularly on his right hand, the victim was unable to write a statement. He then consented to have one of the officers document his statement in the presence of his grandmother.

According to the victim, he returned home from school and his father instructed him to complete his chores. He then washed the dishes, cleaned the house and prepared rice before going to sleep.

Later, his father woke him up to eat. After eating he went back to sleep. At some point, he overheard his mother on the phone with his father and he heard his father asking his mother about who had taken the $20.00 from his wallet.

The victim stated he heard his father become angry and shortly after, his father entered his room and began beating him, punching him multiple times on his face and body, which resulted in bruises on his ribs, arms and face.

Moreover, the victim informed the officer that this is not the first time that his father had beaten him up. He explained that he had previously been struck with a cue stick, belt and slipper and that his mother was aware of the abuse but often did not intervene.

The suspect was placed inside the interrogation room and was Mirandized to which he understood and agreed to provide a statement.

The suspect admitted that he beat his son because he believed the child had stolen the $20.00 from his wallet. He stated that he was trying to discipline his son and further admitted that he did not know how many times he had slapped or punched the child. The suspect also confirmed he had previously used a belt to discipline his son when he doesn’t listen.

The suspect was booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

At approximately 1:10 p.m., the officers contacted the Social Service Child Protective Services (CPS) and informed them of the situation. The primary caseworker arrived at the TPS and instructed the victim’s mother to stay away from the child as the child expressed a desire to remain with his grandparents.

CPS then took over the case and continued their assessment. The victim’s mother also provided her statement.

She stated that while she was at work, her husband called and informed her that he had beaten their son. She admitted that she did not check on her son that night because she got off late at around 10:30 p.m. and went straight to bed.

The next morning, she received a call from her parents informing her that her son was at the principal’s office. At this point, she and her boyfriend rushed to the school. She also claimed that she always advises her husband to not beat up their son.

(The affidavit is not clear if the boyfriend is who the mother refers to as her husband.)

The defendant is identified as a 28-year-old citizen of Samoa and the victim is identified as 10-year-old U.S National.