Court Report

WOMAN ARRESTED WHEN "ICE" FOUND IN HER MAIL
 
Methamphetamine or "ice" with a street value of more than $10,000 has been confiscated by the Vice and Narcotics Division from the post office, found in a box that came in the mail.
 
A 55-year-old Tongan woman from Faleniu went to the post office to claim the box and when customs agents opened the box as procedural protocol, eleven baggies of methamphetamine were found inside a box of pop tarts.
 
According to reliable sources, other items in the box were chips, onion rings and potato chips. Samoa News understands that the detectives with the Vice and Narcotics unit are currently working on the police report to be forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for prosecution. In the meantime, the woman is being held for 48 hours at the Tafuna Correctional Facility. Calls to Commissioner of Public Safety William Haleck for official comment were not returned as of news time.
 
MAN CHARGED FOR ASSAULTING GIRLFRIEND
 
Poiti Tuamoheloa has been charged with felony assault, on allegations that he assaulted his girlfriend on several occasions. The defendant is facing three counts of third degree assault (domestic violence) a class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000 but not less than $150 or both, and a Public Peace Disturbance count, a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.
 
Tuamoheloa, who’s being held on bail of $10,000, is represented by Acting Public Defender Douglas Fiaui. According to the government’s case, the girlfriend filed an official complaint at the West Substation in Tafuna, where she claims that she was assaulted by the defendant the same day. The incident is alleged to have occurred last week Friday.
 
The case was assigned to Police Officer Latarah Ah See, says court documents. Court filings say that the girlfriend claims she was allegedly assaulted outside her work place in Futiga where she was threatened by the defendant that he would kill her if she reported this incident to the police.
 
The girlfriend told police the defendant was a controlling and jealous person, who sometimes forbade her from going to work or from leaving their house until he returned from work.
 
According to the government’s case, the defendant went as far as trying to take the girlfriend’s car keys and important documents to prevent her from going anywhere.
 
Court filings further state that the defendant was jealous and would beat up his girlfriend when she was around men. On the day of the alleged incident, the girlfriend went to the defendant’s work place five minutes late, and he became upset and punched the victim several times in front of his co-workers. The victim claims she was afraid for her life.
 
She went on to say this was not the first time he has assaulted her. Court filings say on Feb. 27, 2013 the defendant punched the girlfriend in her face and she contacted police for assistance.
 
It's alleged the next day the defendant strangled the girlfriend and punched her arm. She further told police that she had only been dating Tuamoheloa for two months and just days after they started seeing each other, he started to show his violent and jealous side.
 
The girlfriend alleges that one time, when the defendant was upset that she was talking to another man, he beat her in the car and abused her verbally. She said that he prevented her from leaving and she was trapped in the vehicle.
 
Police noted scratches on the left side of the girl's neck and bruises on her face and arm. The government claims the defendant has a previous conviction of domestic violence from August of last year, according to court filings.
 
PLEA NEGOTIATIONS IN SEXUAL ABUSE CASE
 
The government and defense are continuing plea negotiations in the case of a man who thought that after a woman has given birth, it’s “ok” for him to touch her inappropriately.
 
Kaio Levao 45, who’s facing sexual abuse first degree, third degree assault and public peace disturbance was in court for his pre-trial conference, earlier this week.
 
A joint recommendation was announced  before Chief Justice Michael Kruse that a brief continuance is needed to carry out the plea negotiations in this matter.
 
The defendant, who’s behind bars on bail of $10,000 is represented by Assistant Public Defender Leslie Cardin, while prosecuting is Deputy Attorney General Mitzie Jessop.
 
Kruse granted the request for a continuance and rescheduled the pre-trial conference on April 14, 2013. 
 
According to the government’s case a 19-year-old female filed a complaint of being sexually assaulted by Levao, when she went to return videos to a store in Fagatogo. She alleges two incidents happened at that time: one when she was in the video store, and the other when she left the video store.
 
Police made contact with the defendant who allegedly apologized for what happened between himself and the complaining witness. According to the government’s case, Levao told police that he thought that because the victim had already given birth, it was okay for him to touch her inappropriately. He admitted to touching the victim in both incidents.