Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A man has been charged for arson over allegations that he set a home on fire in Petesa belonging to a church minister.

Peni Toso is in custody with bail at $30,000 and is facing one count of arson, a class B felony, which is punishable with jails terms between five to 15 years.

Toso appeared in the District Court yesterday.

According to the government’s case, on February 10, 2023 police received a call for assistance after a family home was set on fire in Petesa.

Upon arriving on scene, officers saw the building engulfed in flames.

“As we were securing the scene and waiting for fire fighters to arrive, onlookers from around the area, including the pastor, Tupuivao Ioelu  who owns the house, were yelling out to us that a man named Peni had set the house on fire.

“They had told us that the man had lived there with his wife, Pusi Toso, and had another residence on the east side of the island, at Pagai.”

Witnesses told police while they were sleeping inside the house, the defendant woke them up to clear out saying “that he is going to burn down the house.”

According to one of the witnesses, when the suspect was in their room, the witness could smell a reek of alcohol odor, as the suspect was demanding them to exit the house immediately.

“At first, the witness thought that the suspect wasn’t serious, and he was just acting drunk and the witness went back to sleep. Several minutes later he could smell something burning and immediately felt the heat temperature rising. 

“As he came out of his room, he was then startled to see that his uncle’s room was in flames.”

The day after the incident police headed to Pagai where the defendant resides and found him.

The criminal complaint states that the defendant confessed that he set the house on fire.

“In his confession, he stated that he got into a verbal altercation with the pastor who owned the house. In a rage after the altercation, he went back to the house and doused his room with gasoline and ignited the fire.

“He then took a back road that led to Fagaima and sat under the pulu tree near the Wayland University building.

“He was able to call a family member from Pagai who had come to pick him up and take him.”