Repeat burglar jailed for 7 yrs

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A 28 year old man who has been in and out of trouble with the law since his juvenile years has been sent to jail for 7 years for burglary and stealing.

Samoa News reports that Lauolefiso Manu Naea, has been in custody since his arrest in 2019 and appeared before Chief Justice Michael Kruse last week for sentencing.

He was represented by Assistant Public Defender Ryan Anderson while prosecuting the case was Assistant Attorney General, Laura Garvey.

Naea was charged with two counts each of burglary and stealing but under a plea agreement with the government that was accepted by the court, he pled guilty to one count of stealing.

He did not wish to make a statement to the court but his defense attorney Anderson spoke on his behalf.

Anderson asked for a probated sentence without any additional detention period, stating Naea had been in custody for three years which he felt was punishment enough for this matter.

He pointed out that his client is just a young man and he’s still trying to make good decisions on his own.

Chief Justice Kruse however did not agree with the assertion he was a young man and other issues raised by Anderson in mitigation.

Prosecutor Garvey supported the defense’s submission and asked the court for a probated sentence, but included that the defendant should pay restitution in the amount of $1,050.45 for the items that he stole from the family, and $155 for the cell phone he stole from the victim.

Kruse noted the defendant is not a young man and he has a history in the court system.

Quoting the Pre Sentence Report (PSR), one of the victims in this case is afraid that the defendant will continue to harm her family and steal her property, if he’s released.

In addition the defendant is well known in the village for burglarizing people’s homes often and taking their property.

The court also said it appears that the defendant never learned his lesson when he first appeared in court a few years ago, for a previous conviction.

Naea was sentenced to 7 years in jail, a straight sentence.

The court advised the defense attorney to explain to the defendant the meaning of a straight sentence.