FAGAITUA TEACHER’S JURY TRIAL POSTPONED

A 48-year-old Fagaitua High School music teacher from Lauli’i, facing charges that he had a sexual relationship with his female student at school, is asking the high court to postpone his jury trial slated for next month. Rose ‘Lose’ Auva’a who is out on bail of $25,000 is facing charges of Rape, Sexual Assault, Sodomy, Deviate Sexual Assault and Sexual Abuse first degree.  He says he needs more time, as he had to obtain a new attorney.

The defendant was initially represented by Fiti Sunia, however his new attorney is Marcellus Talaimalo Uiagalelei. Assistant Attorney General Tiffany Oldfield did not object to the motion, given that new counsel needs time to get all the materials, evidence and motions in this case.

According to the government’s case, on Apr. 4, 2014, the defendant’s daughter reported a PPD to the Fagaitua Substation. Samoa News understands the father had allegedly gone after his daughter with a machete when the daughter approached her father about an alleged relationship with a student from school.  After reporting the PPD, she then showed police email messages, which contained sexual content and references to sexual acts, which the defendant and the female student had performed on one another. Police located the student and it is alleged that she confirmed to police that she had a sexual relationship with the defendant.

The new trial date for this matter is slated for December 2015.

Samoa News first reported this case in April 2014.

APISAI ATOE  SCHEDULED FOR JURY TRIAL

The jury trial for police officer Apisai Atoe is now scheduled for December 2015. The cop has been charged with trying to cover up a sexual incident involving his uncle, Mike Kim who has since entered into a plea agreement with the government and is scheduled to be sentenced today before Associate Justice Lyle L Richmond.

The government claims that Atoe had asked the victim’s father to go to the police and withdraw his complaint against Kim. Atoe is charged with witness tampering and concealing an offense.

Samoa News first reported on this case in 2010.

FORMER LBJ FINANCE OFFICER TO ENTER GUILTY PLEA IN STEALING CASE

The co-defendant in the hospital’s missing monies case, Felise Toilolo also known as ‘Leesha’ is scheduled to be in court this week, where she is facing one count of stealing, which is a class C Felony punishable by up to seven years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 or both.

Toilolo is accused of misappropriating hospital funds to the tune of $4,000. The other defendant in this case is Jennifer Tofaeono the former business manager who was recently granted work release after she was sentenced to 20 months in jail.

In a statement to the police, Toilolo said that she would use her credit card to obtain cash from the LBJ merchant machines, but did not remember how many times or for how much.  Toilolo noted that occasionally she would do it, but usually it was Tofaeono who made the transaction, however if Tofaeono was off-island, it was her understanding that Tofaeono would e-mail other employees and instruct them not to settle the machine until she could do it upon her return.

Toilolo said in December 2009, she asked Tofaeono if she could swipe her debit card in exchange for cash, to which Tofaeono replied yes, however Toilolo noticed that the funds were not ever removed from her bank account and she swiped her card for cash several additional times, and “still no funds were taken out of my bank account.”  

Samoa News first reported this case in Oct. 2013.