Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 21, 2025, a victim of a domestic dispute called the Leone Police Substation (LPS) and reported that her husband allegedly assaulted her during an argument.

The suspect was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: 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 imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Private Peace Disturbance (DV), a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both.

The defendant was held without bail.

Court records indicate that on Oct 21st, after a woman (victim) called the LPS and reported that she was allegedly assaulted by her husband (suspect, police were dispatched to the call and, and met up with the victim.

The victim was crying during the interview and complained of pain in her arms. No visible injuries were observed on the victim. The victim claimed that she used her hands to cover her face when the suspect was punching her.

The victim further revealed that it had been three years since their marriage had issues of infidelity. She claimed that the suspect has been having an affair with his co-worker. The victim stated that she kept the peace for the sake of their children.

She further explained that every time the suspect returned to their home after spending time with his mistress, he would either complain about something or start an argument.

The victim added that their children witnessed the ordeal that she had to deal with when the suspect disturbed the peace in their family home. She stated there were times when the suspect threatened to stab their children when they intervened.

The victim also noted that the suspect had never laid a hand on her until recently. She explained that she was getting ready for work, but was taken aback by the suspect calling her names and swearing at her in Samoan. She stated that she was also shocked when the suspect started punching her multiple times. Luckily, she held her hands up in an effort to cover the punches that were aimed at her face.

After being punched several times, the victim stated that she saw her 17-year-old daughter intervene and push the suspect away.

The victim requested that she not see her husband in the area where they live.

The victim’s daughter was also interviewed, and she stated that she woke up at about 3:00 a.m. to iron her mother’s clothes for work. After that, she went back to sleep but was awakened by noises from their living room — it was her parents arguing. The witness explained that she didn’t mind because it was normal for her parents to fight.

She then heard her mom telling her father to come beat her up. It made her worry, and she went out of her home where she saw the suspect standing in front of the victim. The victim explained that the suspect was about to slap her mom again, and pushed him away, which got him mad at her.

Furthermore, the witness told the suspect that “her mother didn’t do anything wrong or avenge him for what he had done to their family. She also mentioned that she and her younger sister are scared of the suspect when he gets mad and might hurt their mother.

Contact was made with the suspect at the LPS, where he was Mirandized and willingly gave a statement.

The suspect admitted to assaulting the victim by slapping her several times. He stated that they had argued, but refused to explain what had sparked it.

The suspect was later transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility for confinement to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 51-year-old citizen of Samoa.