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Man who allegedly burglarized a Fogagogo home and a Petesa store, arrested

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Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 27-year-old man from Petesa has been arrested on the allegations that he burglarized a home in Fogagogo and a store in Petesa earlier this year.

Michael Mapu made his initial appearance in District Court last week. Prosecuting the case is Assistant Attorney General Jason Mitchell, while Assistant Public Defender Bob Stuart is representing Mapu whose bail is set at $15,000

Mapu waived his right to a preliminary examination and his arraignment in High Court is tomorrow morning.

FIRST CASE

In the first case, Mapu is charged with first degree burglary and stealing, for an incident that reportedly occurred April 21st at a Fogagogo home.

Burlgary is a class B felony punishable by 5-15 years in jail while stealing is a class C felony that carries a jail term of up to 7 years, a fine of up to $5,000, a fine equal to twice the amount of gain from the commission of said crime up to a maximum of $20,000, or both fine and imprisonment for each count.

According to court filings, on April 21, police were informed about a burglary that allegedly occurred 5 days earlier. The homeowners are said to have been in Apia when their house was burglarized.

The homeowner told police that when he got to the his house, many personal belongings were not in their usual place and the back door was damaged.

A woman who lives nearby told police that a man with a tattoo on his neck and his left shoulder visited the house 3 times the same week before the couple returned from Apia.

The tattooed man was later identified as Mapu, the defendant.

Mapu told police that he planned to break into the home after his friend who lived in the area told him that the homeowners were not in town. He further admitted that he damaged the back door to gain entry into the home, where he stole several items that he sold to a friend in Ottoville.

The couple told police that the estimated value of the stolen property is $740.

SECOND CASE

Mapu is facing identical charges of burglary and stealing in connection with a Petesa store burglary.

According to the government’s case, the storeowner reported to police that his business was burglarized and the culprit(s) gained entrance by prying open a firmly nailed plywood at the back side of the store. Several items and money were removed from the store.

When police interviewed Mapu about the burglary of the Fogagogo home, maps told investigators that he was aware of the Petesa story burglary.

According to him, he and another man had planned to break in to the store on May 18th when they were engaged in a drinking session.

Court filings say Mapu told police that his friend informed him about an open spot at the back of the store, where an air conditioning unit was to be mounted.

Mapu admitted that he pulled both sides of the plywood to gain entrance while his friend waited outside the store. Mapu said he took items, including $140 and $300 in coins, and he and his accomplice split it.