Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On December 11, 2024, traffic officers observed a male individual lurking around a school campus.

The suspect was arrested and later charged with:

Count 1: Possession of Burglar's Tool, a class D felony punishable by a term of imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of $5,000 but not less than $150, or both;

Count 2: 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 $20,000.

According to the court affidavit, on Dec. 11th, at about 2:32 a.m., traffic patrol officers while out on patrol observed a male individual (later identified as Lawrence Letuligasenoa) inside the Iakina Adventist Academy school compound.

The officers reported that the suspect leaned into the cafeteria door with both hands over the door handle and tried to pry the door open. The officers approached the suspect and the suspect stated that he was just taking a walk on the property. While speaking with the officers, the suspect was holding a ziplock bag containing his birth certificate and drawings he had made.

The officers conducted a body search and found a screwdriver, a driver’s license, bank cards belonging to someone else, and two lighters in the suspect’s pockets.

The suspect was apprehended and placed into the police unit.

The officers canvassed the school compound and noted that everything was secured.

The suspect was transported to the TPS for further investigation.

Upon arrival at the station, the suspect was Mirandized where he stated he understood and agreed to make a statement.

According to the suspect, he was a night security guard at the school and that he only went there for a walk. When questioned about the driver’s license and bank card found on him, he stated that he found it near the utility pole, near the school. The suspect claimed that the Ziplock bag he was holding belonged to him. When he was asked why he was leaning and looking through the cafeteria door, the suspect stated he was just trying to “spit out sauce in his mouth”.

Later, the officers met up with the school principal to confirm if the suspect was indeed a night security guard. The principal informed the officers that the school has no security and they don’t have any knowledge regarding the suspect.

The suspect was booked and confined at the Tafuna Correctional Facility awaiting the next sitting of the District Court.

The defendant is identified as a 27-year-old U.S national.