A Guest Worker from Samoa who is facing sex charges was arraigned in the High Court in American Samoa yesterday.
Tala Laloata, 23 years of age is charged with sodomy, sexual abuse first degree and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child and his bail was set in the District Court at $15,000.
Laloata who is from Samoa is accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl.
According to the government’s case, around March last year this matter was referred to the Criminal Investigation Division of the Department of Public Safety.
The girl told police that the defendant knew all along she was 15-year-old and attends high school and they first met at a party held at her house around the holidays.
Yet he asked her to be his girlfriend, to which she agreed, court documents say.
Furthermore, she said on February 2, 2023, they met and the defendant was under the influence of alcohol, when he kissed her and asked her to skip school, she said.
A month later the defendant was with the victim behind a container where alleged sexual acts occurred and not long after, when he was walking home, the victim’s family approached him and took him to the police station, citing sexual abuse claims.