Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A woman was arrested last week on the allegation that she assaulted a 16-year-old girl with the handle of a hammer.

The defendant, Fea Fuamoli made her initial appearance in District Court this week.

Fuamoli is charged with 2nd degree assault and one count of abuse of a child, both class D felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

Bail is set at $10,000.

THE CASE

On Nov. 4, 2021 at about 5:45p.m, a woman walked into Leone Police Substation to file a complaint against Fea Fuamoli for assaulting a 16-year-old girl with a hammer. The woman who reported the alleged crime was interviewed by investigators.

According to the reporter, she stated that Fuamoli used a hammer and struck the victim four times in the facial area, causing several injuries. The reporter further stated that on Nov. 2nd she received a phone call from her daughter’s boyfriend that he is not able to come to the house in Leone because of what happened to his sister (victim).

The reporter stated to investigators that on Nov. 2nd her daughter’s boyfriend received a phone call from his sister (victim), who told him what happened. The reporter mentioned that her daughter’s boyfriend went there to check and see what had happened to his sister.

She also stated that the boyfriend called her daughter and advised her about his sister’s situation. The reporter later found out and told her daughter’s boyfriend to bring the victim to her residence in Leone.

As soon as the victim arrived, the reporter immediately took her to the LBJ Medical Hospital. The reporter also mentioned to the reporter that she was not thinking of the police nor social services, all she was capable of doing was to take her to the hospital and have a doctor examine her, and make sure the victim was alright.

Investigators then interviewed the victim and she briefed investigators concerning the matter and also she provided a written statement about what happened.

The victim stated that she came home from school on Tuesday, Nov. 2nd at around 3p.m, and she walked into  her room to take nap. Later that same day she heard Fuamoli out in the living room yelling at the kids to do chores, after which she immediately got up and cleaned her room, and later she heard Fuamoli yelling at her, and she was scared and she wouldn’t leave her room. A few minutes later Fuamoli walked into her room with the hammer and started to hurt her with it.

Investigators went to Malaeloa to locate Fuamoli and met up with her at her residence.

The officers were not able to transport her to the police station as she was lying weakly on her bed. Fuamoli gave investigators her verbal statement from her bed saying that she has breast cancer and she is now preparing for surgery.

She later admitted to investigators that she hit the victim with the handle of the hammer because she was angry that the victim did not respond to her when she called her.