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Pago Pago – American Samoa
In May, the Fagatogo Police Department was contacted by an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) team, according to a 14-year-old girl who suspected she had been tortured by her ancestors.
(The Samoa News will not publish the names of those involved, nor to protect minors).
According to government records, on the evening of May 28, 2024, the Fagatogo Police Department received a report from EMS that a 14-year-old girl was being abused by her father.
Police went to the scene and saw a girl surrounded by other people trying to cover her body.
When police questioned her, the girl had trouble answering and police called EMS, who said no, it was their chance car.
So police took the girl, her mother and her three younger brothers to Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital.
But when the police arrived at the last minute, the mother and the children were back home. So, the police returned to the family’s village where the accident took place and took the affected mother and the girl to Fagatogo Police Station without discussion.
The girl explained to the police that the incident occurred because she and her brother were fighting over a shoe while her mother listened in. Their son tried to break up the fight but he couldn’t.
According to the daughter’s testimony, the defendant eventually grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back, but there was a thorn on the girl’s neck at the time, and the defendant pulled hard, stabbing the daughter’s neck.
The girl also said her father punched her in the abdomen, causing her to have difficulty breathing.
The mother corroborated her daughter’s testimony and stated that this was not the first time her husband had abused her and the children. The mother explained that her husband was facing difficult situations due to his anger and that the situation threatened the safety of her and the children.
The mother also mentioned that her husband was imprisoned in November 2023 for abusing her and the children.
After questioning the mother and daughter, police arrested the father of the family and charged him with three offences, including:
Count 1: Assault in the Third Degree – a Class “A” misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year, or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both.
Count 2: Child Abuse – a Class “D” felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, or a $5,000 fine, or both.
Count 3: Creating a Situation Likely to Affect the Safety of a Child/Youth – A Class A Misdemeanor, which may result in imprisonment or a fine between $150 and $1,000; or both.
The defendant posted $5,000 bail so that he could await trial.
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