State ex rel. Riley County Police Department v. $1,489.00 U.S. Currency

59 P.3d 1045, 31 Kan. App. 2d 54, 2002 Kan. App. LEXIS 1153
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedDecember 27, 2002
DocketNo. 88,154
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 59 P.3d 1045 (State ex rel. Riley County Police Department v. $1,489.00 U.S. Currency) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Riley County Police Department v. $1,489.00 U.S. Currency, 59 P.3d 1045, 31 Kan. App. 2d 54, 2002 Kan. App. LEXIS 1153 (kanctapp 2002).

Opinion

Beier, J.:

The State appeals the district court’s decision to return cash and a night vision device to a criminal defendant rather than forfeit them as substituted assets.

The defendant, Richard Lundquist, was convicted of multiple drug offenses. Both controlled substances and drug paraphernalia had been discovered in a search of his residence. The State filed a petition for forfeiture of a Cyclop-I night vision scope found in the bedroom and $1,489 in cash found with methamphetamine in Lundquist’s pockets.

The State proceeded under alternative theories at the forfeiture hearing: (1) The items were subject to forfeiture as substituted assets under K.S.A. 60-4115(a)(7), in place of Lundquist’s residence, which was exempt; or (2) the items were found in close proximity to the seized drugs, giving rise to a rebuttable presumption that they were forfeitable under K.S.A. 60-4112(j).

At the hearing, the sergeant who conducted the search explained that he seized the night vision device because he knew from experience that drug distributors often used such devices to know what was going on around them in the dark. Also, given the nature [56]*56of drugs and paraphernalia found throughout the house, the sergeant identified tire residence as one used for drug distribution.

Lundquist appeared pro se at the hearing. He submitted a bank statement showing a deposit of a credit card check for $3,500 and a withdrawal of $2,000 in cash 2 weeks before the $1,489 was seized from his pockets. Also, Lundquist said he was a photographer, and he submitted instructions for a separate device used to attach the night vision scope to a camera.

The following exchange between the district judge and prosecutor ensued:

“THE COURT: The property seized by the police department is subject to forfeiture pursuant to the substituted assets and supplemental remedies of 60-4115 because the home would have been subject to forfeiture had it not been a homestead. 60-4112 (k) provides that the seizing agency must establish that the person is engaged in conduct giving rise to forfeiture. That has been done. That the property was acquired by the person during that period of time of conduct giving rise to forfeiture or within a reasonable time after the period. I don’t know that that’s been met. And that there was no likely source of the property other than die conduct giving rise to the forfeiture. With regard to the money, Defendant’s 7 shows that — and I have no reason to disbelieve the claimant’s testimony — that there was a source for the money that was in his jeans and I’ll deny the request for forfeiture on die money and order that returned to him. With regard to the night scope, his story about the uses as a camera is as every bit believable as Sergeant Fink’s speculation that he’s paranoid. I’ll restore the night scope... .
“MS. JORDAN: Your Honor, might I ask how you can state in one finding that it’s subject to forfeiture under substituted assets —
“THE COURT: Because you’ve got to — you’ve got to jump through those hoops of the rebuttable presumption in order to accept it under the substituted assets section.
“MS. JORDAN: Your Honor, my reading and I believe the case law supports the reading that the substituted assets finding is sufficient. The other are just rebuttable presumptions that can be utilized as mechanisms to establish the fact that it is subject to forfeiture.
“THE COURT: Take it up on appeal, Ms. Jordan. I’ve made my ruling. Get your money back and your night vision scope back.”

The State has now followed the district judge’s advice. It argues in this proceeding that the district judge erred by declaring the cash and night vision device subject to forfeiture as substituted assets under K.S.A. 60-4115(a)(7) and then ordering them returned to Lundquist under K.S.A. 60-4112(k).

[57]*57The resolution of this issue of first impression requires statutory interpretation, which gives this court unlimited review. The fundamental rule of statutory construction is that the intent of the legislature governs if it can be ascertained, and the legislature is presumed to have expressed that intent through the language of the statute. This court gives effect to an entire act and as far as practicable reconciles different provisions to make them consistent, harmonious, and sensible. Moore v. Bird Engineering, 273 Kan. 2, 9-10, 41 P.3d 755 (2002).

In essence, the district judge attempted to many statutory provisions that the legislature may have designed to remain single. The first and second provisions can be found in K.S.A. 60-4112, which provides in relevant part:

“(j) The fact that money, negotiable instruments, precious metals, communication devices, and weapons were found in close proximity to contraband or an instrumentality of conduct giving rise to forfeiture shall give rise to the rebuttable presumption, in the manner provided in subsection (a) of K.S.A. 60-414, and amendments thereto, that such item was the proceeds of conduct giving rise to forfeiture or was used or intended to be used to facilitate the conduct.
“(k) There shall be a rebuttable presumption in the manner provided in subsection (a) K.S.A. 60-414, and amendments thereto, that any property of a person is subject to forfeiture under tins act if the seizing agency establishes, by the standard of proof applicable to that proceeding, all of the following:
(1) The person has engaged in conduct giving rise to forfeiture;
(2) the property was acquired by the person during that period of conduct giving rise to forfeiture or within a reasonable time after the period; and
(3) there was no likely source for the property other than the conduct giving rise to forfeiture.”

Subsections (j) and (k) of K.S.A. 60-4112 set out two ways in which a rebuttable presumption of forfeiture eligibility can arise. Under (j), a presumption that the item constitutes proceeds of the crime or was used or intended to be used to facilitate the crime arises if the item is found in proximity to contraband or an instrumentality of the crime. Under (k), a rebuttable presumption will arise regarding any item of a defendant’s property if it can be shown that the defendant’s ownership of the item was enabled by and roughly contemporaneous with the criminal conduct.

[58]*58On the other hand, K.S.A.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 P.3d 1045, 31 Kan. App. 2d 54, 2002 Kan. App. LEXIS 1153, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-riley-county-police-department-v-148900-us-currency-kanctapp-2002.