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Man pulled over for speeding is now charged with drug possession

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ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A young man who was pulled over for speeding is now charged with unlawful possession of illegal drugs after police allegedly found a glass pipe inside his vehicle.

Allen Oliva made his initial appearance in District Court last week before Judge Fiti Sunia. He’s charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, to wit; methamphetamine, a class D felony, punishable by up to 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $5,000, or both. He is also facing several traffic citations including careless driving, driving without a license, and not wearing a seatbelt.

Oliva is represented by Assistant Public Defender Ryan Anderson; while prosecuting the case is Assistant Attorney General, Jason Mitchell.

During his initial appearance, Judge Sunia established Oliva’s bail at $5,000. If he is able to post bail, Oliva is to remain law abiding, surrender his travel documents to the government attorney, and submit himself to random testing.

The government claims that it was during the early morning hours of Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018 that police pulled over a speeding vehicle driven by Oliva.

During the routine traffic stop, officers claim they saw movement inside the vehicle.

Oliva was allegedly trying to reach for something and when officers asked him what was in his hand, his response was, “a pipe.”

The defendant was informed about why he was pulled over and in response, he told investigators he was driving at a high speed because he was scared when he saw a police unit behind his vehicle.

When asked where he got the glass pipe, Oliva said he got it from a friend but he didn't want to reveal to police his friend’s name.

Oliva is still in custody, awaiting his preliminary examination, which is scheduled for Thursday at 1p.m.