Ads by Google Ads by Google

Mother turns her children in for public peace disturbance

COURT REPORT logo
One is charged with underage drinking
reporters@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On November 23, 2023, a mother reported her children for peace disturbance that resulted in her 19-year old daughter being charged with Count 1: Underage Consumption of Alcoholic Beverage, a class B misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for six (6) months, a fine of $500.00, or both. The defendant’s bail is set at $300.00.

According to the affidavit, on November 23, 2023, a mother contacted the Tafuna Police Station (TPS) regarding her children causing peace disturbance at their home in Nu’uuli.

Upon arrival, the police officers met up with the mother, Faafetai Fiso, where she briefed the officers on what had happened. She explained that two of her children were involved in the said matter.

According to the affidavit, officers conducted field interviews of each party at the scene and apprehended the defendant Grace FIso and placed her in the police unit. During the arrest, police officers detected a strong odor of alcohol from the defendant’s breath. She was later transported to the TPS for further investigation.

(Samoa News is identifying the defendant as she is 18 years old and considered an adult in the territory, but she is considered underage according to American Samoa’s law for the consumption of alcohol.)

The defendant's older sister, Rotonia F Smith, was also told to come to TPS for questioning.

The affidavit further stated, that according to the defendant’s sister, on the day of the incident, “they hung out with her siblings together with the defendant’s boyfriend.”

Suddenly, her drunk little sister (defendant) was upset when she found out that her boyfriend was consuming alcohol with her (older sister) and her siblings. The defendant then called to her boyfriend but he wasn’t listening to her, consequently she then walked towards her boyfriend, grabbed him by the shirt and slapped him in the face several times. That is when her boyfriend pushed the defendant back to stop being assaulted.

At this time, the older siblings intervened to break up the fight and allow the sister to calm down. The older sister also admitted that is when the altercation occurred between her and her younger sister. As a result, the mother contacted the TPS for assistance.

At the scene, police were also able to speak with the other siblings and they corroborated the older sister’s statement.

Defendant was Mirandized and she agreed to provide a statement regarding the incident. While collecting the defendant's information, officers discovered she was under age but was consuming alcohol.

Officers administered a breathalyzer test which detected an alcohol percentage of 0.03.

The defendant told police in her statement that she was upset that her boyfriend was drinking with her older siblings and that he ‘disobeyed’ her when she called to him to come to sleep several times. That’s when she “grabbed him by his shirt and slapped his back.”

Ms Fiso stated that “her boyfriend turned back and grabbed (her) by the neck, where all her older siblings jumped in and assaulted her by punishing her in the face.”

She told police her mother called police for help and that she had been drinking alcohol (beer) from 10 in the morning until the incident happened.

Ms. Fiso was booked and confined at TCF to await the next sitting of District Court.

She is a US National.