Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — James Faaletatau, a 42-year-old man, accused of assaulting another man with a machete over a year ago in Kokoland, is now in custody after he was arrested last month for a traffic violation — expired license plate tags — and illegal drugs were found in his possession and in his vehicle.

He is charged with one count of 1st-degree assault, a class A felony punishable by imprisonment for a term not less than 10 years and not more than 30 years; along with one count of 3rd- degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, punishable by term of imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both.

He’s also charged with unlawful possession of methamphetamine (meth) and unlawful possession of marijuana, both felonies.

Faaletatau is being held in custody without bail.

He made his initial appearance in court last month, May.

THE ASSAULT CASE

The assault case stems from an incident that is alleged to have happened on Feb. 27, 2021, at a family compound in the Kokoland area. The incident was called in to the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS).

Police officers responded to the call and EMS personnel were also notified, and the victim was transported to the LBJ Medical Hospital for treatment.

The victim was discharged after spending two days at the LBJ and stayed with a friend in Ottoville, as the defendant and the victim were neighbors.

According to the victim’s statement to police, Faaletatau barged into the kitchen in his home while he was preparing dinner for his family, and demanded to know why he (victim) assaulted his brother.

The victim tried to calm the defendant down and explained that he (victim) slapped the defendant’s brother during a soccer game because the defendant’s young brother gave cigarettes and alcohol to his young nephew and his brother, and swore at him.

The victim then apologized to the defendant for what happened and he assured him that it would never happen again. Faaletatau did not accept the victim’s apology and continued to question the victim’s actions.

As the two exchanged words, the victim was shocked when Faaletatau struck his right hand with the machete, and continued to assault him, despite his attempts to defend himself.

Faaletatau fled the scene when the victim ran outside of the house grabbed a rock and attempted to strike Faaletatau.

The victim also stated to police that his right hand was injured when he used it to block the blows that caused injuries to his face and left hand and to his head.

However, the victim told police he did not wish to file a criminal complaint against Faaletatau, saying that it was his fault.

Officers went to Faaletatau’s residence to arrest him but he was not there.

The next morning, Feb. 28, 2021, a couple walked into the TPS to file a complaint against Faaletatau for the machete assault. The couple told investigators that the victim was like a son to them and had lived with them for over 20 years now.

Efforts to locate the defendant at that time were unsuccessful.

THE TRAFFIC STOP

On May 6, 2022, Faaletatau was identified as the driver of vehicle pulled over in Mesepa for an expired license tag. Faaletatau had no driver’s license or other form of photo identification on him, resulting in his vehicle being impounded and Faaletatau being transported to the TPS for further investigation.

Prior to being transported to the TPS, he was patted down and during the body search, officers discovered a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance inside his pocket.

An inventory search of the vehicle was also conducted by officers in Faaletatau’s presence. During the search, officers discovered a small stamp sized baggie containing a green leafy substance under the driver’s seat.

After he was Mirandized the defendant stated that he understood rights and refused to make a statement.