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Court Report

LINDA TALIMATASI

 

The government has amended its criminal complaint against a woman who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly assaulting another woman in Malaeimi, with the help of a teenage girl.

 

Linda Talaimatasi was initially charged with two misdemeanor counts of third degree assault and private peace disturbance. But the amended complaint filed this week now charges the defendant with three felony counts: first degree burglary, second degree assault, and unlawful use of a weapon, according to court documents.

 

The burglary charge, a class B felony, is punishable by imprisonment for five to 15 years while the assault and weapon charges — both class D felonies — are each punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of $5,000 or both. With the newly amended charges, her bail is now set at $20,000 and she remains in custody.

 

Court documents state that police were contacted the afternoon of June 21 by an emergency room nurse at LBJ Medical Center regarding the victim, who was being treated at the hospital.

 

Upon interviewing the victim, police learned that in the early morning hours of June 21, the victim had been sleeping in her living room with her two minor daughters, ages 2 and 7 years old. She was awoken to find two females had entered her house without permission, the government alleges in court filings.

 

The victim told police that the defendant sat on her chest, punching her face and the defendant then grabbed the victim’s hair and began cutting it with scissors, according to court documents, which also alleges that the teenage girl — who entered the victim’s home with the defendant — held down the victim’s head while Talaimatasi was cutting the hair.

 

The government also alleges that the defendant “grabbed a knife and cut her head” causing lacerations, which required about eight stitches to close. The victim tried to fight off the defendant, who held her down and “bit her wrist,” court filings further allege.

 

During the struggle, the victim’s 7-year old daughter ran towards her mother but was allegedly “slapped” by the teenager girl. The 7-year old then ran upstairs in the house to alert her uncle of the attack. The teenage girl also allegedly “pushed down” the 2-year old daughter, who tried to approached her mother.

 

When interviewed by police, the uncle said he ran downstairs to find the defendant and the teenage girl attacking the victim and he observed the defendant strike the victim on the face with a beer bottle, the government alleges.

 

The defendant and the teenage girl ran out of the house when the uncle threatened to call police. The uncle then called EMS who transported the victim to the hospital.

 

Besides the lacerations, the victim sustained a black eye, facial swelling and a bite mark to her wrist, according to court documents, adding that police observed in the victim’s living room pieces of cut hair, a kitchen knife and glass scattered throughout the living room floor.

 

The next day, police located the defendant, who allegedly admitted to entering the victim’s house, grabbing her hair and cutting it off with scissors while the teenage girl “slapped the victim’s young daughters.”

 

The teen age girl is identified in court documents by her first name only while her last name is unknown. It’s unclear at this point if police have been able to locate the teen age girl.

 

A motive for the alleged assault was not made clear in court documents.

 

MICHAEL SENE

 

A 20-year man was taken into police custody early yesterday morning for allegedly entering a woman’s home and touching her private area. When the District Court opened yesterday, Michael Sene made his initial appearance, but his case has been continued to next week and therefore he remains in jail.

 

According to court information, police were contacted by a member of the victim’s family just before 1a.m. yesterday for help. Upon arrival at the scene, police were informed by the victim that while she was sleeping, she felt a hand touching her left leg, then moved up to her thigh to her private area.

 

When the victim attempted to sit up, the defendant held her down and at that point she saw that the screen wire had been torn and that louvers were missing from a window frame, said court information.

 

It’s alleged that the defendant held her and tried to calm her down, while asking her if they “could talk and hang out”. When the victim managed to get away from the defendant, she ran over to turn on lights near the door, which she then opened and screamed for help. By this time, the defendant had stood up and jumped out of the window.

 

Police were able to locate the defendant, who was taken into custody for questioning, but on the way to the police substation, the defendant allegedly volunteered information to police that he had received phone calls earlier from the victim, who wanted him to come over to her place. This statement was rejected by the victim as false, saying that she never called the defendant, whom she had seen around the village playing volleyball.

 

At the police substation, police noticed a strong odor of alcohol from the defendant’s breath and officers also noticed blood shot eyes as well as scratches on his feet. The defendant is currently charged with public peace disturbance while police continue their investigation.