Man arrested after woman discretely calls 911 during alleged assault

POCATELLO — A man was arrested after a woman reported that she had been kidnapped and assaulted by him after he broke into her home.

Sam Sailiata, 27 is charged with felonies for first-degree stalking, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, grand theft, and misdemeanors for false imprisonment and resisting or obstructing officers.

According to court documents, Pocatello Police officers were called to a home after a woman reportedly called 911 and only provided her address.

When officers arrived, the woman denied calling 911, but “repeatedly winked” at the officers, leading them to believe she was the 911 caller.

Officers walked her down the street, where she told them that Sailiata was hiding on the patio behind a barrier.

Officers began to search for him, but he reportedly “crawled past (the victim) on his hands and knees into the house, where he remained until officers entered the house and placed him into custody,” according to police reports.

Sailiata reportedly tried to pull away from officers “multiple times” before he was transported to the Bannock County Jail.

During an interview with the victim, she stated that she had been asleep in the living room when Sailiata started knocking on the door and yelling “baby.” The victim said she stayed quiet, but Sailiata began moving around the house, knocking on the windows and saying he was “going to break them out.”

Sailiata then knocked on the back door, and the victim tried to unlock the front door to leave the house “due to her fear of (Sailiata) and what he might do.”

The victim says Sailiata got inside before she was able to leave and “threw her to the ground, ripping her shirt and not letting (the victim) leave the house.”

According to the victim, Sailiata was holding a metal bar over his head, “making movements like he was going to hit her multiple times.” He then reportedly threw the bar on the ground next to her and grabbed a revolver out of a bag he had.

Police reports say Sailiata “began to wave the gun around, pointing it all over (the victim).” According to the victim, the gun was hers, which Sailiata had allegeldy stolen.

The victim told police she “was afraid he was going to injure her severely since he has tried in the past.”

To calm him down, the victim says she began to speak to Sailiata “lovingly” and asked him about an injury on his face. Sailiata told the victim he had just been in a bar fight, before dropping the gun and getting off the victim.

The victim tells police she quickly grabbed the gun and hid it in a cupboard, hoping Sailiata would not notice “due to his level of intoxication.” She then asked him if he wanted to go outside and smoke cigarettes. While he was outside waiting for her, the victim called 911 and gave them her address.

Sailiata was booked on a $50,000 bond, and a no-contact order was issued for the victim. He pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges and is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on July 14.

If convicted, Sailiata could face up to 35 years in prison.

Though Sailiata has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

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