SUPERIOR Court Associate Judge Kenneth L. Govendo imposed a $10,000 cash bail on Albert Esefou at a bail hearing on Jan. 24, 2022.
Esefou, 30, was accused of choking and slamming his pregnant girlfriend to the ground. He was charged with assault and battery, domestic violence, and disturbing the peace.
According to the complaint against Esefou, he physically assaulted his girlfriend of 10 years because she threw a rock at her sister’s car and pulled her sister’s hair. The girlfriend accused her sister and Esefou of having an affair.
Judge Govendo remanded Esefou to the Department of Corrections’ custody and ordered the defendant to return to court on Feb. 3, at 1:30 pm for a preliminary hearing, and on Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. for an arraignment.
On Jan. 22, 2022, at 8:23 a.m. the Department of Public Safety dispatched units to As Lito in response to a disturbance-in-progress call.
At the scene, police saw a man, later identified as Esefou, walking away from a pregnant woman.
Police said the “right portion of her face” was injured, and she was crying and shouting. She said she felt numb and was having a difficult time catching her breath.
She told police that her boyfriend of 10 years had beaten her up.
She said when Esefou arrived at their home in As Lito earlier that day they talked about their relationship. He then told her he was leaving.
The victim said she followed him and saw a blue Toyota Prius parked outside a neighbor’s house. Inside the car was her sister.
The victim said she shouted at her sister and told her to open the car door. She then threw a rock at the Prius, damaging its windshield.
She said Esefou tried to push her away from the Prius, but when she wouldn’t budge, he choked her neck, scratched her face, and threw her down on the gravel road.
The victim told police that when she was on the ground, Esefou kicked her backside before reaching down to pull her hair and tried to punch her in the face.
The victim said she had suspected that Esefou and her sister were having an affair.
