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CJ Kruse willing to wait to get to the bottom of the TCF case

Chief Justice Kruse
Despite government saying all of the TCF guards “stuck to one story”
ausage@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Sierra Isaia’s revocation hearing has been continued after Chief Justice Michael Kruse said that the court would not rest until it gets to the bottom of the case and finds out who stopped probation officers from conducting a drug test on the defendant at the Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF).

At last week’s hearing Assistant Attorney General, Laura Garvey told the court that the investigation had been completed after investigators questioned all the TCF Guards working on the shift during which the incident took place.

According to Garvey, all of the TCF guards “stuck to one story” which was — they don’t know the officer who stopped the two probation officers from conducting a drug test on Isaia.

Right now, the government is unable to get to the bottom of the case — and for that reason, the government decided that this will be the end of the investigation.

Kruse intervened and told the government’s attorney that the court will not rest until it gets to the bottom of the case. He further stated that the court will wait and see what the new administration is going to bring in.

It was at a hearing a few months ago when the government called three TCF officers, who worked on the day in question to the witness stand. None of them was able to identify the name of the TCF officer who stopped probation officers from conducting a drug test on Isaia on March of last year.

All three TCF officers, Vaataape Anapapa, Maua Talasoo and Alefosio Faamoana told the court under oath that despite the fact that they all worked on the day in question, none of them saw two probation officers inside the TCF compound.

BACKGROUND

This case got the attention of the court after two Probation officers filed their report back in May regarding an alleged incident that happened inside the TCF compound during their visit in March. The report stated that the two Probation officers feared for their safety when another inmate allegedly tried to interfere with their job.

That inmate was Gabriel Tinai.

The two Probation officers are Deputy Probation officer, Saipale Vaouli and his co-worker, Tafito Aitaoto.

As a result of the inmate’s action, the two Probation officers left TCF unable to conduct a drug test on Isaia.

According to Vaouli’s testimony, they went on that day to conduct random testing of probationers serving time at the TCF — one of them was Isaia. One of the conditions of Isaia’s sentence (Dec. 14, 2019) was to submit himself for random testing on the demand of any probation officer or police officer.

Isaia, 42, was serving 80 months at the TCF for a drug conviction after pleading guilty to charges in two cases. In the first case, he pled guilty to the amended count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine. He also agreed to plead guilty to the amended count of unlawful possession of meth in the second case.

He was released on a $15,000 cash bond after his initial appearance.

Four months later, he was pulled over in Iliili for a loud muffler. Two small baggies and a glass pipe containing a white substance that later tested positive for meth were found in Isaia's pants pocket during a body search, in addition to several empty baggies and $190 cash.