Ads by Google Ads by Google

District court sentences young man to time served — and he keeps his job

Court Report logo
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Aukuso Faumui appeared in District Court last week where he pled guilty to public peace disturbance. With his guilty plea, Faumui admits that on April 5, 2019, he was engaged in a fight with others who were unloading fish in Satala.

In return, his 2017 case was dismissed and probation that was handed down for a 2016 case was closed out.

In recommending sentence, Assistant Public Defender Anna Whiles told the court that her client is gainfully employed, and although he has been in jail for more than a month, he still has a job.

"You're one lucky employee, Mr. Faumui," said Judge Elvis P. Patea.

Faumui was then sentenced to time served, which is 33 days.

(In 2016, Faumui pled guilty to underage consumption of alcohol. Subsequently, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail but execution of sentence was suspended and he was placed on probation for 24 months, with the condition that he remain law abiding, among other things.

While on probation, Faumui was picked up in late 2017 for public peace disturbance and interfering with an arrest. He was alleged to have been intoxicated — clear violations of probation.

An Order to Show Cause (OSC) was then issued for Faumui to appear in court. But he was a no-show.

RINTEL IATALA

Defendant Rintel Iatala has admitted to violating probation — consuming alcohol and failing to remain law abiding by getting arrested.

Iatala appeared in District Court last Thursday where Judge Elvis P. Patea said it was "too soon" to revoke probation. Instead, he modified it, to include attending and successfully completing an alcohol counseling program.

The case filed against Iatala last month, charging him with criminal contempt, has been dismissed. For that case, Iatala was alleged to have been "drinking all day" and "acting violently" at his home in Amouli.

He also has a pending case in High Court, where he is charged with one count each of illegal possession of marijuana, and illegal possession of methamphetamine — both felonies.

Judge Patea noted that Iatala also has three citations in District Court. After trying to determine whether the citations are in direct relation to the case in High Court, Judge Patea dismissed the citations without prejudice, saying, it "leaves the door open" for the future, if and when the government wants to pursue it.

Iatala was remanded to the LBJ Behavioral Health Center last month, and an evaluation concluded that he is stable.