Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A young man with several bench warrants has been arrested for drugs. Anthony Viliamu, charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth, made his initial appearance in District Court last week. Bail is $5,000 surety.

If he is able to post bond, Viliamu has to - among other things - pay outstanding fines totaling $680; remain law abiding; not leave or attempt to leave the territory; and not make any direct or indirect contact with the government’s witnesses.

During court proceedings, Viliamu’s attorney asked to quash the two bench warrants issued for his client’s arrest, saying Viliamu was unaware of the court dates. “If you post bond, make sure you make all of your court appearances; if you fail, the court will find you and hold you at the TCF without bail until the matter is resolved. So, take this first incident as a lesson for you,” Judge Elvis Patea warned.

Preliminary examination is tomorrow, Dec. 31st.

According to the government, police stopped a vehicle in Iliili for false plates last Monday night. The vehicle was impounded and in it, a clear glass pipe with a usable amount of meth was discovered. An inventory uncovered two glass pipes containing a crystalline substance, and several empty baggies on the passenger side.

Two people were in the truck when it was pulled over: a male driver, who is the registered vehicle owner with a driver’s license that expired 3 years ago; and Viliamu, who was in the passenger seat.

During questioning, the driver allegedly told police about another glass pipe that Viliamu hid under his seat. Officers went back to the vehicle and found it. The driver claims he didn’t know about the glass pipe and paraphernalia that were found in his vehicle, everything belonged to Viliamu.

He said he saw Viliamu hide something under his seat when they were pulled over, but he didn’t see what was it. The driver was cited for driving a vehicle with false plates, and released pending an investigation. Viliamu verbally told police he didn’t know who owned the glass pipes, saying he found them when he entered the vehicle.

(In 2010, Viliamu was sentenced to 5 years probation under the condition that he serve 20 months at the TCF for a marijuana possession conviction).

FERETI IOPU

The court did not revoke probation for a man who violated conditions of his 7-year probation, by testing positive for weed. Instead, the court modified conditions.

Fereti Iopu was convicted of assaulting a Korean man in a case involving a robbery in Ottoville in 2015. He appeared in court last week for a Disposition Hearing.

Defense attorney Rob McNeill told the court this was his client’s first probation violation since his 2015 conviction. According to McNeill, Iopu found a job to care for his mother and sister, and he asked for another chance for his client, so he can continue to work to support his family.

McNeill said Iopu is a hard working man and the incident whereby he tested positive for drugs was when he hung out with the wrong crowd. He said this was a “one time violation” and his client will never do it again.

When given the chance to speak, Iopu apologized and asked for a second chance. He said ever since he was released from jail, he has changed - he is not hanging out with his friends but instead, spends most of his time at work and with his family.

Prosecutor Laura Garvey echoed the defense’s submission, saying Iopu did well on probation for the first 5 years of his 7-year term. She asked the court not to revoke probation but allow Iopu to attend drug counseling. The court ordered Iopu to continue on with probation with the following warning: “This is the last chance for you, young man. If you fail to comply with conditions of your probation, there will be no more second chance for you.”