Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On January 5, 2026, at approximately 9:12 a.m., police received a call reporting a burglary during the night at a retail store in Ottoville.

Mr. Vaaulia Tagoai was charged with the following:

Count 1: Stealing - a class C felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment not to exceed seven years, a fine of not more than $5000 or an amount equal to twice the amount of gain from the commission of the crime up to the maximum of $20,000, or both such imprisonment and fine;

Count 2: Burglary in the First Degree - a class B felony, punishable by a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not to exceed fifteen years; and,

Count 3: Trespass - a class B misdemeanor, punishable by a term of imprisonment not to exceed six months, a fine of not more than $500, or both such imprisonment and fine.

The defendant is held without bail.

According to the affidavit, filed in the District Court on Jan. 7th, officers responded to call and met with the store owner and his wife. They were taken to the rear of the store, where officers observed a window that had been forcibly pried open.

Photographs were taken of the damaged window as part of the investigation.

Officers were then shown surveillance video footage from inside the store. The footage allegedly shows a male suspect wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black shorts with white stripes entering the store and accessing the cash register. Only a partial side profile of the suspect was visible in the video.

According to the affidavit, a female customer who regularly visits the store viewed the footage and identified the suspect as Vaauria Tagoa‘i, stating that she recognized him from church and from prior interactions when he had lived with her family.

She told officers she was familiar with him and believed he was the person seen in the video.

The store owner reported that an estimated $420 in quarters and approximately $10 in cash were taken from the cash register. He also reported that a handbag containing personal identification documents, including multiple driver’s licenses was stolen.

Police determined that the suspect entered the store during closed business hours. According to the affidavit, the store owner was asleep at the time of the break-in.

Officers later proceeded to Mr. Tagoai’s residence in the Kokoland area in an attempt to locate him. Relatives at the residence informed officers that Vaaulia was not home. Unable to locate him at that time, officers returned to the station.

At approximately 11:00 a.m., Vaaulia arrived at the police station with his mother and voluntarily turned himself in. According to the affidavit, officers observed that he was wearing the same black shorts seen in the surveillance footage.

The suspect was advised of his constitutional rights, which he stated he understood and agreed to answer questions.

When questioned about his whereabouts during the time of the break-in, Vaaulia stated that he had been at home. Officers informed him that surveillance footage showed him inside the store and that a witness had identified him.

The suspect denied being involved and continued to claim he had not left his residence.

When asked about the stolen items, the suspect initially denied taking anything.

He was questioned again, at which point he stated that the items were inside a bag located in his vehicle. He agreed to allow officers to retrieve and examine the bag, and his mother brought it to the station.

Officers opened the bag with the suspect’s consent and found 24 small plastic packets, each containing approximately $10 in quarters. Further inspection revealed two drug pipes and several empty miniature plastic packets.

While searching the bag, officers also found a wallet. When the wallet was opened to check for the victim’s identification documents, officers instead discovered a single small packet containing a substance believed to be methamphetamine (meth).

All suspected illegal drug-related items were turned over to the Vice and Narcotics Division for further analysis and investigation.

The suspect was later booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility, where he is being held pending the next available sitting of District Court.

The suspect is identified as a 19-year-old US National.