Man arrested for assaulting his wife in front of their children

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man was arrested earlier this mon on the allegation that he assaulted his wife in the presence of their children. The wife told investigators that this is an ongoing situation within her family and she fears for her and her children’s safety.

The defendant made his initial appearance in District Court.

The defendant is charged with one count of felonious restraint involving domestic violence and one count of 2nd-degree assault involving domestic violence, both class D felonies, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both, along with two class A misdemeanors of endangering the welfare of a child.

Bail is set at $20,000.

THE ALLEGATION

On Mar. 10, 2022, a woman called the Leone Police Substation (LPS) reporting that her niece was being assaulted by her husband, the defendant in this matter.

Several police officers responded to the call and met up with the woman who called, along with the victim in this case.

Upon arrival at the scene, officers observed injuries to the victim’s facial area, including swelling on her right eye. Photos were taken for evidence and the parties were transported to the LPS for further investigation. EMS medical services were also contacted for assistance.

According to the victim’s statement to investigators, it was on the early hours of Mar. 10 while she and her two minor children were asleep when her husband, who was very intoxicated, came and banged the door multiple times and yelled at her to come outside.

At the time she was fearful because she already knew that her husband would assault her. She then woke her two minor sons, and then opened the door, then her husband led her, along with her two sons to the living room.

Her husband asked her some random questions while holding a glass bottle that contained alcohol, while she was trying to answer his questions, her husband threw a beer bottle at her, including dish ware and a can of fish.

She then ran back inside their room and locked the door. Her husband forced his way inside the room, yelled out profanities and threatened, he would kill her.

The victim told investigators that her two minors sons were present at the time and they were afraid and yelled out for help. Her husband then walked around to where the windows were and tried to make his way into the room but the victim and her sons flipped the bed mattress to cover the windows to try to keep him from getting inside the room.

When their plan didn’t work she then opened the door and tried to run outside for help but her husband dragged her by her hair back inside the room.

The husband punched the victim with a closed fist multiple times in her face while her two sons were present. He later grabbed a piece of metal that was in their room and attempted to strike her with it while she was crying out for help.

Luckily, her sons ran outside and stoned the windows of the room trying to get the defendant’s attention away from their mother. That’s when the defendant ran outside and chased his two sons for stoning the windows, which gave their mother the chance to escape from him.

The victim told investigators that her sons were afraid and sought to help her while the defendant kept yelling out profanities and threatening to kill her if he caught her.

The victim ran to a good Samaritan family for help. The family then sheltered them until daylight in order to report the matter to the DPS. The victim stated the family wanted her to call the police immediately, but she refused wanting to wait until daytime. She stated that is an ongoing situation in her family.

On the same morning, investigators received a phone call that the defendant was at his aunt’s residence in Taputimu and cops immediately went and apprehended him, later transporting him to the LPS for questioning.

The defendant refused to make a statement about what happened.