Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Police arrested a 35-year-old taxi driver from Tafuna on Sunday night, for the alleged sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl.

The taxi driver is known to the victim’s family.

Vavatau Voleti made his initial appearance in District Court on Monday before District Court Judge Fiti Sunia.

He’s being charged with sexual abuse in the first degree, a class D felony; and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.

Sunia set bail at $5,000 surety bond.

If he is able to post bond, Voleti is ordered not to make any direct or indirect contact with the alleged victim, and he is to surrender his travel documents to the government’s attorney.

Assistant Public Defender Anna Wells is representing Voleti while Jason Mitchell is prosecuting. Voleti is scheduled to appear in court next Tuesday for a preliminary examination.

THE CASE

According to the government’s case, it was the victim’s aunt who reported the alleged incident to police.

Investigators met with the aunt, the alleged victim and her mother.

According to the government, Voleti is the best friend of the victim’s father.

The victim’s aunt told police that she found out from another woman who lives behind the victim’s house in Tafuna, that the defendant’s taxi was parked in front of a store near the victim's home on the evening of Nov. 14, 2018

Not long afterwards, the woman saw the girl exit Voleti's taxi and make her way home.

On Sunday, Nov. 18, the woman told the girl's aunt what she witnessed and that's when the aunty relayed the information to the victim’s mother — who was off island at the time — before she confronted the victim and asked her what she was doing inside Voleti's taxi.

The 13-year-old girl told police that she was walking on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 14 when Voleti’s taxi pulled over next to her on the road.

She said Voleti asked her to jump inside the car and at first she refused, but a few moments later, she agreed.

While inside the car, Voleti gave her $20 and asked if they could hang out a little bit.

According to the government’s case, while the two were talking inside the car, Voleti allegedly grabbed the girl by her left arm and began touching/ rubbing her body through her clothing, starting from her private parts and upward to her breasts.

The girl said she tried to escape because she could smell alcohol inside Voleti’s car and she saw empty cans of beer in the back seat; an, she knew something was not right with Voleti, based on the way he was acting.

The affidavit notes that while police officers were interviewing the alleged victim, she was confident about all the information she shared, but when she got to the part where she mentioned the inappropriate touching, she began to tear up.

After he was arrested and Mirandized, Voleti agreed to write a statement concerning the alleged incident. He admitted to police that he picked up the victim while she was walking on the road on the evening of Nov. 14, but strongly denied touching her inside the car.