Court Report

FELONY ASSAULT FILED IN LAND DISPUTE CASE
 
Pisa Schewenke is facing second degree assault, following a land dispute in Nu’uuli last month. This felony charge is in addition to the Public Peace Disturbance count.
 
The defendant was initially charged with his brother, however the government moved forward with charging the defendant with a felony, while Jerry’s case (brother) remains in District Court on misdemeanor charges.
 
During his arraignment in the High Court yesterday, the defendant denied the charges and waived his rights to the reading of the charges in open court. The defendant appeared before Chief Justice Michael Kruse.  
 
According to the government’s case, police received a call about a fight among two families at the Fanene family land in Nu’uuli. Police responded to the call and upon arriving at the scene they saw several people were injured and they contacted the Emergency Medical Services for assistance.
 
Court filings say, police investigation uncovered that the dispute started over a load of dirt — several people argued where the dirt would be unloaded. Fanene family members told police Jerry did not want the dirt load to be unloaded on their property and he threatened the truck driver.
 
It’s alleged Pisa walked over to the victim who bought the load and punched him on the face repeatedly. The government claims the woman was unconscious as a result of the attack.
 
HYMIE SEFO GETS SECOND CHANCE FROM COURT
 
The High Court has accepted to separate plea agreements in the matter of Hymie Sefo, who is charged in connection with two burglary cases, one which occurred at Leone High School and one at the FJP Kruse Inc. Store in Leone.
 
Regarding the high school case, Sefo is charged with receiving stolen property, first degree burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary in the first degree. He pled guilty to receiving stolen property, while the government agreed to dismiss the remaining charges.
 
According to the plea that was read in court, Sefo admitted he had received a laptop from Mu Matu’u, a co-defendant. In his plea the defendant admitted that he did not want to be caught with a stolen laptop so he threw it away. The defendant also agreed that he would pay $1,400 restitution to the Department of Education.
 
In connection with the store case, the defendant pled guilty to stealing, the one count he was charged with in this matter. In return the government agreed to make no recommendation to the court about sentencing.
 
The government’s case against Sefo is in connection with the burglary of the FJP Kruse Inc. Store in Leone two years ago. According to the government’s case, Sefo admitted to police that two weeks prior to the break-in, he and two other suspects conspired to break-in to the store, and at the time one of the two suspects was working as a watchman for the store. 
 
For both cases, the defendant apologized for his actions and pleaded with the court for leniency.
 
Associate Justice Lyle L Richmond sentenced the defendant to time served and placed him on five years probation under certain conditions — that he pay a $2,000 fine, and $1,400 restitution.
 
ATTACKER RECEIVES TIME SERVED
 
Lealofi Laulu, who pleaded guilty to third degree assault as part of the plea agreement with the government, was sentenced to two years probation and received time served.
 
He was originally charged with second degree assault.
 
During the plea agreement the defendant admitted that he struck another man’s face with a beer bottle during curfew.
 
Associate Justice Lyle Richmond sentenced the defendant to two years probation, fined him $500 and ordered him to abstain from alcohol.  
 
According to the government’s case the incident was reported to the police station by the victim, who said the defendant struck him on the face with a beer bottle after he approached the defendant and his friends and told them to go home, because it was close to village curfew time in Leone. The government claims the defendant took off on foot after hitting the victim.