Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A 29-year-old male was arrested last month on the allegation that he attempted to rape a 16-year-old girl at her home in Ottoville. During his arrest, cops found a glass pipe containing methamphetamine (meth) in his pants pocket.

The government claims that on Feb. 05, 2022 around 5:38p.m, a woman from Ottoville contacted the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) and reported that her niece had been sexually abused by a young male who came to their home.

Several police officers responded to the call and met up with the woman who reported the incident, later identified as the victim’s aunt, along with the victim in this case.

According to the victim’s statement to investigators, she was at her aunt’s place doing her homework when a male by the name of Naasona Fineaso (the defendant in this case) came over looking for her aunt.

The victim told Fineaso that her aunt was cutting flowers and told him (Fineaso) to wait outside the house and her aunt might come later. However, Fineaso allegedly opened the front door and entered the house without permission.

According to the victim, she was sitting on a chair in the living room when Fineaso approached her and attempted to hold her but she pushed him away. Fineaso did not stop, he continued to come close to the victim and forcibly kissed her but the victim was able to push him away.

However, Fineaso continued his inappropriate touching by allegedly grabbing the victim, forcing her to kiss him, as well as attempting to have sexual intercourse with her. The victim continued very hard to push him away.

At one point, the victim told Fineaso that she couldn’t do what he wanted her to do. According to the government, it was at that time when Fineaso wrapped both his arms around the victim’s neck and choked her from the back.

Fineaso then laid the victim on the floor and attempted to have sexual intercourse with her while she was still refusing. Every single time the victim tried to scream out for help, Fineaso grasp her by the neck and choked her to shut her up.

The defendant’s home was about 15 feet away from the victim’s house, but when police went to his house, he was not there. However, when police followed up with their investigation a few hours later, Fineaso was at his house. He was apprehended and transported to the TPS for investigation.

When questioned regarding the alleged incident, Fineaso admitted to police about what happened and begged for forgiveness. He corroborated the victim’s statement, however, he claims it was not forced. He also denied choking the victim. He told police that the victim asked him to come inside the house.

Before Fineaso was transported to the TPS for questioning, he was patted down for weapons or drugs. During a body search, cops discovered a glass pipe containing a white crystalline substance in his left pants pocket.

When asked about the glass pipe, Fineaso admitted the glass pipe belonged to him and that he had bought it from a man in Vaitogi for $25 a day prior to the alleged incident.

The white crystalline substance was later tested by a police captain and it yielded positive results for meth.

Fineaso made his initial appearance in court last month.

He is charged with one count of unlawful possession of meth, a felony punishable by imprisonment from 5 to 10 years, a fine of up to $20,000, or both; sodomy; one count of attempted rape; one count of sexual abuse in the first degree; all class C felonies, punishable by imprisonment of up to 7 years, a fine of up to $5,000, or such imprisonment terms and fine, along with one count of 3rd-degree assault, a class A misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to $1,000 or both.

Bail is set at $25,000.

Preliminary examination is scheduled for next week.