Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — One of the defendants in the alleged rape of two 14-year-old girls appeared in District Court last Friday, after the government filed an additional charge against him.

The additional charge stemmed from the earlier complaint where two young girls were the alleged victims in a sex and drugs incident.

Loma Iosia made his initial appearance in front of Judge Fiti Sunia last week. He was represented by Assistant Public Defender Anna Wells, while prosecuting the case was Assistant Attorney General Bianca Lherisson.

Losia is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, to wit; methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, a class D felony.

Judge Sunia established Iosia’s bail in the amount of $5,000.

If he posts his bond, the court ordered that he has to remain law abiding, not leave or attempt to leave the territory, and he has to surrender his travel documents to the government’s attorney. He was also ordered not to make any direct or indirect contact with all the government’s witnesses.

According to the amended complaint that accompanied the additional charge against Iosia, the government claimed that on the early morning of Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, one of the victims in this case, who was named in the court affidavit as T.T was inside the house with Nick Mataia.

Not too long after that, Iosia who took Mataia’s car earlier arrived at the house. Loma then picked up T.T and went to drop her off at home. On their way home, they stopped at Taputimu Mart to buy soda and chips and then continued on the way home.  They again stopped — this time at the Canton Mart Store in Puapua near her residence in Malaeloa, where Iosia told her to go inside and buy cold drinks.

T.T told police that when she came back outside with the drinks, Iosia gave her a glass pipe used to smoke ice and a plastic baggie with ice inside. T.T then stated that at the same time, Iosia told her that the pipe and baggie of ice was hers to keep. Furthermore, Iosia also told T.T to not tell anyone.

When asked by police, Iosia admitted the when he went to drop off the young girl by the name of T.T, he gave her a baggie of meth to smoke.

Iosia is scheduled to appear in court this morning for his preliminary examination.