Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On October 20, 2025, a village mayor called the Faga'itua Police Substation (FPS) to report that a man was allegedly trespassing and attempting to steal from one of the homes in their village.

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, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 2: Attempted Stealing, a class C misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to fifteen days, a fine of $300, or both.

The defendant's bail was set at $1,000.

According to the court affidavits, on Oct 20th, at around 3:26 p.m., a man (hereinafter referred to as the reporter) called the FPS to report a man (later identified as the suspect) was allegedly trespassing at his aunt's house in Faga'itua. He claimed that the suspect was stealing coconuts.

He told the authorities that the property belonged to his aunt, who was off the island for medical treatment. The reporter stated that his aunt had entrusted him as the caretaker of her house and land until she/ they returned.

The reporter continued that he drove by his aunt's house and saw the suspect with a machete and a woven basket containing coconuts inside. He told the suspect that he was trespassing, but the suspect got aggressive and responded to him in a loud manner.

The suspect claimed that he is related to the family that owns the land and house. The suspect ignored the reporter's request and continued looking for coconuts. Fearing for his safety because of the suspect's aggressive behavior and the machete in his hand, he contacted the police for assistance.

Police officers responded to the call and, upon arrival at the scene, met with the reporter, who pointed out the suspect. The officers observed the suspect standing with an estimated 3-foot-tall wooden stick with a sharp end, designed to remove coconut husks, in one hand and a machete in the other.

The officers ordered the suspect to drop the objects that he was holding, but the suspect refused for a few seconds and walked backwards.

The officers continued to question the suspect, and he eventually cooperated, surrendering. The suspect was immediately apprehended and transported to the police station for further investigation.

A witness was also interviewed and told the authorities that he was driving home from work when he saw the suspect on his land with a machete and coconuts inside a woven basket beside him. He further stated that he asked the suspect what he was doing there, and the suspect responded aggressively, saying that he saw no one was home and that he was related to the owner. The witness stated that he did not know the suspect's identity. He also informed the officers that this was not the first time the suspect had trespassed.

Furthermore, the witness stated that after the suspect yelled at him, it alarmed several high school students standing by the roadside. It was then he decided to go home to prevent any further altercation.

Later, the reporter informed the officers that he was the village Mayor and they already had rules in place prohibiting stealing from other people's property in the village. He also noted that he recognized the suspect from past incidents on the same land, and this is not the first time the suspect has done this. The land had neither a fence nor a wall.

During the booking process, the officers observed the suspect to be under the influence of illegal substances because of his abnormal behavior, mumbling, hallucinating, and fiddling.

An investigation later revealed that the suspect has prior convictions and is on probation.

The suspect was booked and transported to the Tafuna Correctional Facility for confinement, and to await the next available sitting of the District Court.

He was later identified as Clinton Tofaeono, a 32-year-old U.S national.