Court Report

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 14, 2023 at 6 PM, Chris Amituana’i was allegedly involved in a short-lived escape from the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF), where he and Senara Patu allegedly planned an escape for Patu from confinement at TCF. 

Of note, Samoa News previously reported on the account and statement made by Patu. Now, according to Amituana’i’s verbal statement, he was in a taxi at the Lions Park parking lot, waiting for the defendant to exit TCF. As soon as he saw the defendant standing outside the gate, he had the taxi drive up to the defendant, where she got into the taxi. 

The defendant and Amituana’i proceeded to the defendant’s home in Pago Pago, and after conducting their personal conjugal visit, they phoned another taxi to pick them up to drop Patu back to TCF. 

As they were making their way back, the driver of the taxi turned the car around near Faga’alu park and stopped at a police unit that was parked at the intersection in Faga’alu, and both passengers were escorted into the police unit, and transported to the Fagatogo Police Station (FPS) for further investigation. 

Amituana’i was booked and processed on the same night they were brought into the FPS, and is being charged with the felony crime of aiding the escape of a prisoner.

Bail for Amituana’i is set at $5000. 

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

FPS received a call from a woman in Pago Pago requesting police assistance as she claimed her husband was assaulting her without provocation.

When officers arrived at the residence, the woman notified them that the defendant had fled the scene as soon as he realized that she was calling the police.

According to the woman, she had just got off work at 10:30 PM, she went and ate with her sister-in-law’s husband at the table, when out of nowhere, her husband allegedly came and punched her on the right side of her face and then again on the left side of her face, multiple times.

She then got up and called the police for help, and her husband allegedly assaulted her again, causing her to fall on the couch where her children were sleeping. She further reports that as soon as she talked on the phone with the police, her husband left the house and stated, “E va’ai iai lana mea e fai ia te ia le po nei”, meaning “you see what he’s going to do to her tonight”.

The victim further informed officers that this was not the first incident to occur between her and her husband, and that the last incident was her husband chasing her with a kitchen knife, but she managed to escape.

She also communicated that her husband is on probation and is awaiting his next court appearance on the 22nd of this month.

The suspect, identified as Laupepa Toto, is facing 4 charges – one count of private peace disturbance, one count of assault in the third degree, and 2 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Bail amount for the defendant is set at $2,000.