Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A woman accused of stealing merchandise worth over $1,000 from a store was arrested last week. Tepatasi Susan Polevia is charged with one count of stealing, a felony, punishable by not more than 7 years imprisonment, and/or a fine of not more that $5,000 or both.

The charge stems from an incident that occurred a few months ago, when Polevia allegedly stole boxes of baby goods from Kim Lin’s Store and took them home.

During a hearing in District Court, Polevia waved her rights to a PX on Friday, and her case was bound over to High Court for arraignment. She has entered a ‘not guilty’ plea and her pretrial conference is Jan. 24th, 2020.

At arraignment, Polevia’s attorney requested a reduction of her $5,000 bail, saying his client  has a baby that needs to be breastfed. Counsel Stuart explained that since her arrest, Polevia’s husband takes the bus from their home to the TCF with the baby - leaving their minor children home alone - so Polevia can breastfeed the baby.

A request was made to release Polevia on her own recognizance, so she can breastfeed her infant and look after her other children at home, while her husband looks for a job to take care of the family. Associate Justice Fiti Sunia reduced Polevia’s bond to $2,000.

If she is able to post bond, Polevia is ordered to abide by all conditions of release, especially the condition that prohibits her from contacting the government’s witnesses, including the store employees and owner.