HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A man stands accused of assaulting a minor girl last week.
On March 20, Guam Police Department officers responded to reports of a 12-year-old girl accusing a man known to her, Antonio Joel Taijeron, 18, of assaulting her, according to a magistrate’s complaint filed in the Superior Court of Guam.
The victim initially stated she was assaulted by Taijeron and her mother the day before, but when her mother was interviewed, she stated the victim assaulted Taijeron first. However, when Taijeron was interviewed, he denied ever being assaulted by the victim and believed the victim’s mother “said that because she was intoxicated,” the complaint stated.
Officers met with the victim, who explained she was on a bus waiting to leave school on March 19 when a school aide told her to get off the bus because Taijeron and her mother were waiting for the victim outside. The minor then walked with Taijeron and her mother to her mother’s residence, when she started crying because she didn’t want to go to her mother’s residence.
According to the complaint, Taijeron, in response, pulled the victim by grabbing her left shoulder and shoved her forward with both of his hands as they walked.
“The victim stated that Taijeron continued to push her forwards as the children in the bus watched. When they arrived at the residence, the victim started to cry and sat on the pavement, not wanting to go inside. She then leaned her side against the door jamb, when (the victim’s mother) pulled the victim’s hair with two hands,” the complaint stated.
Taijeron allegedly went inside the house before walking out with a hanger and allegedly used it to hit the victim’s left arm twice. The victim’s mother then pulled the 12-year-old girl into the residence, according to the complaint.
“Once inside, the victim stood up and started going to her bedroom. Taijeron followed the victim into her bedroom and ‘smacked’ the right side of her face with his left hand ‘many’ times hard. The slapping caused pain to the victim’s face. Taijeron then pinched the victim’s right arm three times, causing the victim to feel pain from the pinches,” the complaint stated.
Later, the victim saw Taijeron in the hall outside her bedroom when she left to get water, and Taijeron allegedly told her she didn’t need water before slapping the right side of her face, the complaint said.
“The victim’s mother further assaulted her in the hallway, kicking her face and dragging her down,” the complaint added.
During an injury check, officers saw swelling to the minor’s forehead, right eyebrow and cheeks, redness on her shoulder and left arm, and bruises on both her arms.
Taijeron was arrested March 21 and charged with four counts of misdemeanor assault, child abuse and family violence as misdemeanors.
The victim’s mother is not facing charges.
Antonio Joel Taijeron
