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Man charged with abuse of underaged girl

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 45-year-old man from Taputimu was taken into custody last month for the alleged sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl after he walked into the TPS and turned himself in. The defendant made his initial appearance in District Court last month. He is charged with first degree sexual abuse, a class D felony; and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.

Bond is set at $15,000 and a preliminary examination is scheduled for next Tuesday. The court has denied a defense motion to reduce bond to $5,000 due to the seriousness of the allegation.

If he is able to post bond, among other conditions, the defendant is not to make any direct or indirect contact with the victim, while his case is pending.

The case, which has been previously reported by Samoa News, was reported to authorities by the victim’s aunt three months ago.

Police who responded spoke to the caller, and the alleged victim and her mother. The defendant who — according to the government — is a friend of the victim’s parents, will not be named in order to protect the identity of the under-aged victim.

The defendant was not home when police arrived in the area. A couple that lives next door told investigators that the defendant was living with his girlfriend in Malaeimi and he only came to his house on weekends.

According to the victim’s statement to police, the defendant inappropriately touched her while she was in his house. She had gone there at the request of one of her neighbors to ask for his machete to cut their wood. When she got there, he met her at the door and asked her to come in and get something to eat or drink from his refrigerator, while he sharpened the machete.

The girl said she tried to escape because she could smell alcohol and she also saw empty beer cans lying on the floor in the kitchen area.

In the affidavit, police noted that the victim was confident throughout the interview process, but when she mentioned the inappropriate touching, she began to tear up.

According to the mother, this is not the first incident in her family involving the defendant. She said there was an incident that occurred a few months ago in involving him and her daughter, but it was not reported because both parties settled it privately.

Police were unable to locate the defendant immediately after they interviewed the victim and her mother in December of last year. Last month, the defendant turned himself in.

When questioned by police, he denied any wrongdoing. He told investigators that he didn’t see the victim at his home on that weekend, and that the only person who visited his house on that Saturday morning was his male friend from Tafuna who came to help him clean his yard.

He said he drank the last of his leftover beer by noon on Saturday, and added that the reason why the victim’s family is making false accusations is because they want him off the land and out of the family.