Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man with two prior convictions over a decade is back in court again on a new allegation that he stole his father’s vehicle. When pulled over by patrol officers last month, the suspect, Tasesa Kuresa told officers the vehicle belonged to him, not his father.

Kuresa was taken into custody on Apr. 24th after officers pulled over the vehicle he was driving at a traffic stop. He made his initial appearance in court on the following Monday, Apr. 27.

He is charged with one count of stealing, a class C felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years, a $5,000 fine or pursuant to A.S.C.A 46.2101, a fine equal the twice the amount of gain from the commission of said crime, up to a maximum of $20,000, or both such fine and imprisonment.

Bail was set at $5,000.

THE CASE

The government claims that on the morning of Apr. 24th, a man from Pago Pago contacted the Central Police Station in Fagatogo for assistance to locate his vehicle, which he said was stolen by his son, Kuresa, the defendant in this case.

According to the government, the stolen vehicle was a black pick-up with the license plate number 1997, and was registered under the name, Sefulutasi Kuresa, the father of the defendant.

An hour later, two patrolling officers in Pago observed a black pick-up that did not stop at a stop sign. Since vehicle matched the description of the stolen vehicle, police immediately pulled the vehicle over.

Officers approached the vehicle and noticed that there were two male individuals inside — the driver, who is the defendant and another a passenger.

When told the vehicle he’s driving was stolen, the defendant told police that the vehicle belongs to him, not his father. He further stated to officers that they’re heading to the LBJ Hospital to pick up medication for his younger brother, who suffers mental problems.

Officers told the defendant that they are going to impound the vehicle and he needed to come with them to the Central Police Station (CPS) in Fagatogo for further discussion.

Officers then met up with the defendant’s father at the CPS, where he provided officers with a document, which confirmed that the vehicle is registered in his name, Sefulutasi Kuresa.

The defendant on the other hand continued to claim that the vehicle belonged to him, not his father. After further discussion regarding the matter, Kuresa was then taken into custody and charged with stealing.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION (PX)

During Kuresa’s preliminary examination (PX) before Judge Elvis P. Patea, defense attorney, Bob Stuart wanted to know whether the stolen vehicle really belonged to Kuresa’s father. The government witness told the court that the vehicle is registered under Kuresa’s father’s name.

When Stuart asked if there’s any period of time the father gave permission to Kuresa to drive the vehicle prior to the day of the alleged incident, the witness replied, “I don’t know.”

Kuresa appeared in High Court last Friday for arraignment. His pretrial conference is now set for June 19th.

BACKGROUND

In 2012, Kuresa, who was 37 years old at the time of the offense, was the first man charged under the territory’s stalking law, which became effective in 2010. He was later convicted and sentenced by the court to 2 years probation. He admitted to the court that he repeatedly enticed a 14-year old victim to go with him in his car, which was extremely inappropriate, given his age and the age of the victim.

In 2014, Kuresa was convicted for violating local drug laws and was sentenced to 5 years probation. His conviction stemmed from an incident after a man contacted police for assistance after Kuresa attempted to pick a fight with him, after trying to sell him marijuana cigarettes. When the man responded no, Kuresa challenged the man to a fight. The man reached for his phone and called police. Police apprehended Kuresa and during a body search, officers discovered 5 marijuana cigarettes inside a small baggie in Kuresa’s possession.