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Man arrested for assaulting girlfriend two years ago

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man accused of assaulting his girlfriend — who is also his second cousin — over 2 years ago has been finally arrested.

The defendant made his initial appearance in Court.

He is charged with one count of felonious restraint involving domestic violence and one count of 2nd-degree assault, both class D felonies, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

The court set bail at $25,000.

THE ALLEGATION

The government alleges that on Dec. 29, 2019 at 2:44, a woman contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and requested police assistance regarding her boyfriend who assaulted her at home. The victim requested immediate response due to the suspect still being in the home.

Several police officers responded to the call and met up with the victim who briefed them about the alleged domestic violence. During the conversation, officers observed a swollen/ bruising on her right eyelid, and in fact the victim was complaining about pain on her head and middle back where the defendant allegedly assaulted her using a stick.

Officer then requested medical assistance to treat the victim’s injuries. The victim was then transported to the TPS for questioning.

According to her statement, she just got home after doing laundry while the defendant was sleeping in the room. She walked inside the room and the defendant woke up and started screaming at her about food. The victim told the defendant that she didn’t bring any food but she has money for food.

However, the defendant got up angry and continuously punched the victim in the face that was the cause of a swollen and dark purplish bruising on her right eye. It was at that point that the victim ducked down and started covering her face and asking the defendant to stop but the defendant grabbed a metal flask and struck her on the head.

When she tried to escape from the assault the first time, the defendant held her back, pushed her down towards the ground and restrained her from escaping by pulling her by the shirt and continuing with the assault.

She started screaming and calling out for help but it was difficult due to the fact that the defendant grabbed a stick that was near him and started assaulting her by hitting her back area several times.

The defendant also got her cell phone so that she couldn’t contact the police for assistance. While crying inside the room, she couldn’t make any move until the defendant went to the bathroom, that’s when she was able to escape the house and flee. She used a friend’s phone to contact the police.

The victim also stated that she really feared for her life and that this was not the first time the defendant had abused and assaulted her, saying it happened most of the time when the defendant is mad or angry at someone/something.

She said, in order for the assault and the abuse to stop, she needs to step up — so she wants to file a complaint and press charges against the defendant.

The victim sustained injuries on her facial area, a lump on the lower side of her head and two large swollen/ bruise marks on her back.

The victim was treated by EMS and advised her to go in for further treatment.

Officers proceeded to the area to locate the defendant but were unsuccessful as the defendant had fled the scene. It was not until two years later that the suspect was apprehended.