Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A woman who is accused of stealing merchandise worth over $400 from a store in December of last year was arrested by police last week at a bus stop in the Tafuna area.

Foketi Laupana is being charged with one count of stealing, a felony, punishable by not more than 7 years imprisonment, and/or a fine of not more that $5,000 or both.

The charge against Laupana stems from an incident that happened in December of last year, when she went to an Asian store in Malaeimi and allegedly stole children’s items including food and clothing for her four young children.

During her hearing in District Court, Laupama waved her rights to a preliminary examination hearing on Tuesday, and her case is now bound over to the High Court for arraignment.

Laupana denied the single count against her, and her Pretrial Conference is scheduled for May 26, 2020.

Her attorney requested a reduction on her $5,000 bail that was set by District Court Judge Elvis P. Patea. Defense attorney told the court that his client has a baby that needs to be breastfed.

He explained that since her arrest, unable to post bail, her husband takes the bus from their home to the Territorial Correctional Facility with the baby, leaving their minor children home alone, in order for the defendant to breastfeed the baby.

Defense counsel requested the court release his client on recognizance, so that she can continue to breastfeed her child and look after her other children at home, while her husband is looking for a job to take care of their family. He told the court that his client is not a flight risk, she has no intention of leaving American Samoa, because she has a family to look after.

After reviewing the defense’s motions, Judge Patea reduced Laupama’s bond to the amount of $1,500. If she can post her bond, the Court has ordered her to comply with usual conditions of her release, especially the condition that she has no contact with the owner and the employees of the store that was allegedly affected by her action.

During an interview with investigators, Laupama stated that she stole items from the store for her children. She knew that it against the law but she didn’t know how else to feed her children especially her 13-month old baby. Her husband is unemployed but she has 4 young children that need to be fed.