Man arrested for assault claims he was not paid for his work

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man who is on probation for a drug conviction from four years ago was arrested last month on the allegation that he assaulted a man by hitting him on the head with a metal pipe during a verbal argument between the two.

When Simaika Feleti was arrested, police discovered drugs on his person and in his vehicle.

Feleti appeared in court last month for his initial appearance where he informed the court that he opted for a preliminary examination (PX).

Feleti is charged with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine(meth); one count of unlawful possession of marijuana, both unclassified felonies, punishably by imprisonment from 5 to 10 years, a fine of up to $20,000, or both; along with trespass and property damage in the 3rd-degree; both class A misdemeanors, punishable by imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both; and 2nd-degree assault, punishable by imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Bail is set at $10,000.

THE CASE

On Mar 30, 2022, the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) received a call from a woman in Nu’uuli asking for help after her husband was assaulted by another man. The man was later identified as Simaika Feleti, the defendant in this case.

The woman also requested immediate medical assistance for her husband who received severe head injuries as a result of the alleged assault.

Several police officers responded to the call and met up with the victim’s wife who told police that the defendant had just fled the scene in his vehicle after he saw police units approaching their home.

The victim was was transported to the LBJ Tropical Medical Center for further medical treatment, after being treated by EMS on the scene.

Police interviewed the victim and his wife regarding the alleged incident. According to the wife’s statement, she was in the house that afternoon with her elderly father-in-law and three young children when she heard someone calling out her husband’s name from outside of their house. She later noticed that it was Feleti, who lives at the other end of the village.

The victim had just arrived home from work and he was speaking to his daughter in Hawaii on the telephone at the back of the house.

The woman went to the front to inform Feleti that her husband (victim) was on the phone, and she asked Feleti to come inside the living room and wait there for her husband.

Feleti did not want to come inside the house. Instead, he instructed the victim’s wife to tell her husband to hang up the phone and come to the front to discuss something very important.

According to the victim’s wife, she didn’t think anything of it, however, she was shocked when she heard her husband arguing with Feleti and when she walked out to check on the the situation, she saw Feleti punch her husband in the face twice causing him to fall down.

She also saw Feleti with metal pipe in his hand — which he allegedly used to strike her husband’s head and back while her husband was lying on the ground in front of their house.

Feleti then threw the pipe at the back door of their house leaving a hole in the middle of the door before he walked away. Photos of the damaged door were taken for evidence.

The wife said she then called police and EMS for assistance before she went over and assisted her husband with his injuries, while their three little children were just standing beside their father crying.

The victim later confirmed to police that it was Feleti, a man who worked with him on a construction job that assaulted him.

Two weeks later, police spotted Feleti’s vehicle parked in front of a store in the Tafuna area and approached him regarding the alleged incident. Feleti at first refused to comply with police instructions and informed officers that they can’t arrest him because he didn’t do anything wrong. However, officers informed Feleti that he was not under arrest and he could leave if he wanted to.

After a brief conversation with the officers, Feleti finally agreed to go with police to the TPS for an interview.

Before Feleti was transported to the TPS, he was patted down, and that’s when police discovered a medium sized baggie inside Feleti’s rear pocket containing two hand rolled marijuana joints.

An inventory search was also conducted on his vehicle in the presence of Feleti. During the search, police found a black pouch under the driver’s seat containing two small stamp-sized baggies containing a white crystalline substance.

First, Feleti refused to speak to investigators regarding the drugs found in his possession and inside his vehicle, but after being Mirandized, he informed investigators that he fully understood his rights and would like to make a statement.

In his verbal statement to investigators, Feleti apologized for what happened to the victim and immediately admitted to his action. He told investigators that the drugs did belong to him. He said he went to Vaitogi two days prior to the incident and bought drugs for $40.

When asked about the alleged assault, Feleti admitted that he struck the victim’s head with a metal pipe, saying he was really mad at the victim, because the victim never paid him whenever he helped the victim with his construction work.

According to Feleti, it had been 3 weeks since he did construction work for the victim and he was never paid. However, when he called the victim on the phone two days prior to the day of the alleged incident and requested if he (Feleti) could borrow $40 to buy food for his children, the victim hung up the phone and told him he (victim) didn’t have any money.

Feleti further stated to investigators that before he assaulted the victim, he politely asked him to give him money for his children. The victim’s response was that he thought he was offering his service for free. That’s when Feleti became really mad, and he said he turned around and punched the victim before he grabbed a metal pipe and struck his head and shoulders while he was lying on the ground.