Argument over money and a truck ends friendship and lands one in jail

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man with a prior conviction over a decade ago is back in court again on a new allegation that he stole a friend’s vehicle from the friend’s mechanic shop in Vaitogi.

When pulled over by traffic officers last month after the vehicle was reported stolen, cops found two small stamp sized baggies containing green leafy substance and a glass pipe containing white crystalline substance inside.

Steve Laulu told officers the vehicle belonged to him, not his friend (victim).

The defendant made his initial appearance in court last month.

He is charged with one count of stealing, a class C felony, punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years, a $5,000 fine or pursuant to A.S.C.A 46.2101, a fine equal the twice the amount of gain from the commission of said crime, up to a maximum of $20,000, or both such fine and imprisonment, along with one count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine and one count of marijuana.

Bail was set at $20,000.

THE CASE

The government claims that on the morning of July 30, a man from Vaitogi who was later identified as the victim in this case, contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) for assistance to locate his vehicle, a white pick-up, which he said was stolen by a friend by the name of Sikivi. Sikivi was later identified as Steve Laulu, the defendant in this case.

Three weeks later on Aug. 24, officers spotted the vehicle parked in front of a store in the Tafuna area. However the vehicle pulled out and headed east, making its way to the airport. The officers then observed the driver not wearing his seatbelt and pulled the vehicle over.

At that time, they observed two people inside the vehicle — the driver, who was later identified as Steve Laulu, the defendant, and a female sitting in the passenger’s seat.

When told the vehicle he was driving was stolen, the defendant angrily told police that the pick-up belonged to him, not the victim. He then explained to police the reason why he believed the vehicle belonged to him.

Officers told the defendant that the vehicle was being impounded and he needed to come with them to the TPS for further discussion. The alleged owner of the vehicle would also be at the TPS with a document confirming that the pick-up belonged to him and is registered under his name.

At first, Laulu refused to comply with officers’ instructions. He told officers that there’s no reason why his vehicle should be taken to TPS because it wasn’t a stolen vehicle.

After several attempts by officers to get Laulu to comply, cops pulled Laulu from the vehicle, handcuffed him and placed him inside a police unit.

Before Laulu was taken into the TPS, he was patted down and two small stamp-seized baggie containing green leafy substance was discovered in his front pocket.

Officers also found in Laulu’s rear pocket a glass pipe (commonly used to smoke meth) containing a white crystalline substance. The green leafy substance was later tested and revealed it was positive for marijuana. The white crystalline substance was later tested and revealed it was positive for meth.

At the TPS, a document provided by the victim to investigators proved that the vehicle Laulu had been driving belonged to the victim. The vehicle is registered under the name of Jalen Vaafusuaga, the victim in this case.

Laulu was Mirandized, after which he agreed to make a statement regarding the incident.

According to Laulu, it was around White Sudnay last year when he took his yellow pickup to Vaafusuaga’s mechanic stop to fix. Four months later in February of this year, Vaafusuaga asked him if he could buy his pickup because he (Vaafusuaga) wanted to use it for his plantation.

In a verbal agreement, both men agreed that Vaafusuaga would pay Laulu $3,500 for the pickup. Part of the verbal agreement between the two friends was that, Vaafusuaga would pay $2,000 on the day their verbal agreement was made, and the balance of $1,500 within 5 months.

 Five months later in July, Laulu went to Vaafusuaga for his money and discovered that Vaafusuaga had changed the color of his pick-up from yellow to white. Vaafusuaga further told investigators that he easily recognized his vehicle and that’s why he took the vehicle with him.

Laulu also told investigators that two days later Vaafusuaga called him and asked for the vehicle and he told him (Vaafusuaga) to pay his money first before he retured the vehicle. However, three weeks later, he was shocked when he was pulled over by police.

When asked about the drugs found in his possession, Laulu told investigators that he found the glass pipe containing meth and the small baggies containing marijuana inside the vehicle. He further stated to investigators that the drugs did not belong to him.

There was no explanation as to how Vaafusuaga came to be in possession of the ownership or title of the truck — no matter what color it is.