Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A woman who was convicted of assaulting her husband last year during a family domestic violence incident was sentenced to 24 months probation last week by the High Court.

The defendant, who was free on bond appeared in High Court last week for sentencing. She was represented by Public Defender Michael White while prosecuting the case was Assistant Attorney General Kristine Soule’.

The defendant was initially charged with 2nd-degree assault, a felony punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 5 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both; and with a class A misdemeanor charge of disturbing the private peace.

However, under a plea agreement with the government, accepted by the court, the defendant pled guilty to the amended charge of 3rd-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. Other charges were dropped.

By her guilty pleas, the defendant admits that somewhere around May of 2021, she assaulted her husband by hitting his head with a piece of metal.

The defendant claimed she was tired of her husband abusing her for all these years and that’s why she assaulted him.

She apologized for her action and said that everything inside the family is now back to normal and her husband has accepted her apology.

Both parties requested that the court sentence for the defendant be a probated sentence — and the court agreed.

Acting Associate Justice Elvis P. Patea told the defendant that despite her actions, the court feels that she is a candidate for a probated sentence. The court also noted the defendant had a clean record.

The defendant was sentenced to 24 months probation under several conditions with which she must comply.

She shall serve 90 days at the Territorial Correctional Facility. She will be credited for the 10 days she was behind bars before she posted bond and the balance was stayed based on her good behavior.

She shall pay a fine of $1,000. The court will defer $800 and she will pay $200.

The court advised the defendant that if she violated any conditions of her probation, the court would order her to serve the suspended period of detention.

Associate Judges Paepae I. Faiai and Suapaia J. Pereira assisted Patea on the bench.