Escapee who broke into TBAS apprehended and back in custody

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A prisoner who escaped from the Tafuna Correctional Facility (TCF) was taken back into the custody after he was caught following an attempted burglary at the Territorial Bank of American Samoa, Tafuna Branch over the weekend.

The inmate will be charged once the investigation is complete, confirmed the Department of Public Safety Chief of Police Pouu’amea Tuaolo Supapo in response to questions from Samoa News.

 “The inmate is now back into the custody of the police and I cannot comment any further as investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division is underway.”

The prisoner in question has been confirmed by senior police officers as Joeita Fa’aaliga, who has a record of escape along with another inmate, from the TCF back in 2016.

During that escape six years ago, Faaliga stole a purse from a woman who was inside a vehicle parked at the ASPA office in Tafuna.

He also robbed a house in the Tafuna area before heading back to the TCF and during that case, the defendant said he was hungry that’s why he escaped.

As reported by Samoa News in July, the American Samoa Corrections Agency (ASCA) management remains tightlipped over the lack of public notice when a prisoner escapes from the TCF.

A statement issued by the TBAS on Monday, states the Tafuna Branch was broken into early Saturday morning, November 27, 2022, resulting in the TUPE VAVE ATM “being badly damaged beyond repair.”

“Nothing was taken as Public Safety arrived while the robbery was in progress and arrests were made,” says the statement issued by the bank.

As reported earlier, Tafuna High School teachers that were decorating the road for the football championship game on Saturday, saw first- hand more than five police vehicles around the branch in Tafuna.

Officers were seen at the bank’s Tafuna location around 4 a.m, securing the scene and taking photos.

BACKGROUND

When Fa’aaliga escaped from the TCF in July, DPS Commissioner Lefiti Falelaulii Pese apologized on behalf of the police and the American Samoa Corrections Agency for the “lapse” in informing the public that a prisoner had escaped.

 “The concerns raised by the public are valid and therefore I apologize for the lack of a public notice by the police, so the public can be aware there is a prisoner on the loose.”

Lefiti told Samoa News at the time, that recently the American Samoa Corrections Agency has been separated from the DPS.

“As you know anything relatively new, there are teething problems but we will do better, after all the public has the right to know so they can be alert,” said the Police Commissioner.

Adding that while the ASCA is separate from the police, their duties are interconnected.