Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On February 16, 2025, a suspect walked into Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and turned himself in. The suspect was allegedly caught on CCTV footage when he broke into a store and stole more than $1,000.

He was later arrested and charged with:

Count 1: Burglary in the Second Degree, a class B felony punishable by imprisonment of more than five years, and less than 15 years;

Count 2: Trespass, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both;

Count 3: Conspiracy to Commit Stealing, a class D felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than five years, a fine of not more than $5,000, or both;

Count 4: Stealing, a class C felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than seven years, a fine of not more than $7,000, or an amount equal to twice the amount of gain from the commission of the crime up to a maximum of $20,000, or both imprisonment and fine; and,

Count 5: Property Damage in The Third Degree, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $20,000.

According to the court affidavit, on Feb. 15th, Lipena Patoloaita (later identified as the suspect) unlawfully entered the J & M store in Iliili.

A police investigation revealed that the suspect’s point of entry into the building complex was through a door located on the left side of the main door — through a door connected from the laundromat area. The suspect allegedly used a hammer to break down both doors as he made his entrance into the store.

It also revealed that the suspect stole cash worth $1,235 USD from inside the cash register and also took a carton of cigarettes.

Police officers arrived on the scene and met up with the reporter (later identified as the victim) who briefed the officers regarding what happened.

According to the victim’s verbal and written statement, she came to open up the store at around 6:00 a.m. and she noticed that the side door of the store had been damaged, and went to check out the store. That’s when she saw that the cash register was open and cash had been taken. She called out to her husband and informed him that the store had been robbed.

She then viewed the store’s CCTV footage where it showed that about 5:21 a.m., an unknown man broke into the store and went straight to the cash register. The suspect took the cash from the register and a carton of cigarettes that was under the cash register counter.

The victim also stated that she and her husband went around to inspect the store and further discovered that the side door of the laundromat had been torn apart. At this point, she contacted the police to assist in investigating the matter.

The victim was also able to confirm the amount of cash stolen by subtracting the amount of money that was left in the cash register after the alleged burglary ($110 USD) from the amount of money she left inside the cash register — a total of $ USD 1,345.

Several attempts to locate the suspect were unsuccessful.

However, on the night of Feb. 16th, at around 11:30 p.m., the suspect walked into the TPS and turned himself in. The suspect claimed that he turned himself in due to the fact that his village police (aumaga) was out searching for him for what he had done.

The suspect was Mirandized to which he understood and agreed to make a statement and answer questions.

According to the suspect’s verbal and written statement, on Feb. 15th, at about 5:00 a.m., he came and sat by the containers next to the J & M store. He was looking out to make sure there were no people around before he broke into the store. He sat around for a while and eventually proceeded to break into the store.

First, he broke down the side door of the laundromat with a hammer and then approached another door inside the laundromat that was connected to the store, which he broke and entered the store. He went straight for the cash register where he opened it and grabbed a bundle of $20, $5 and $10 bills. He also grabbed a carton of cigarettes that was under the cash register counter.

The affidavit also noted that the suspect stated during interrogation that the said break-in was planned and it wasn't just him that planned the burglary.

The suspect claimed that after breaking into the store, he went to Vaitogi and waited for his partner, who he identified as Povi, along with his nephew. He gave them the rest of the money while he kept $300 and three packs of cigarettes for himself.

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

Authorities tried to locate the two other men that were allegedly involved in receiving the stolen properties but their efforts were unsuccessful.

The defendant is identified as a 27-year-old citizen of Samoa.