Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 5, 2025, a woman contacted the authorities and reported an unknown man who was allegedly trying to break into her home.

The suspect was later apprehended and charged with Count 1: Trespass, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500.00, or both imprisonment and fine.

The defendant’s bail was set at $2,000.00.

According to the court affidavit, on July 5th, at around 3:01 a.m., a woman (later identified as the victim) reported a man (later identified as Del Melei/ suspect) attempting to unlawfully enter her house. The victim stated that she saw a man in front of her house trying to open the front door. She explained that when she went to check, the man had already walked to the back of her home where he attempted to open a sliding window but was unsuccessful.

The victim continued that she then exited the house and yelled at the suspect, ordering him to leave her property and she was able to chase him away.

Police officers responded to the said call and upon arrival at the scene, they met with the victim who briefed them again about the incident. The victim directed the officers to the rear side of the house where the attempted entry occurred.

The officers documented the scene with photographs and canvased the area, however, they weren’t able to locate the suspect matching the description that was given by the victim.

While at the scene, the officers observed a camera mounted in the front of the residence. Upon request, the victim provided footage from the device. A review of the footage led to the positive identification of the suspect by one of the officers who recognized the suspect as Del Melei.

Melei lives two houses down from the victim’s property.

Authorities proceeded to the suspect’s residence where he voluntarily came outside and inquired about the officers’ presence. A field interview was conducted, during which the suspect admitted to being at the victim’s residence. However, he later changed his statement, claiming he had just returned from work and was not aware of any incident.

The suspect was taken into custody and transported to the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) for further questioning.

Upon arrival at the station, the suspect was Mirandized to which he understood but chose to exercise his right to remain silent.

He was booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility to await the next available sitting of the District Court.