§ 32-8-88 — Motor Vehicle Theft Facility Prohibited; Definitions; Seizure and Forfeiture of Property; Disposition of Proceeds of Forfeiture Sale

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) A theft facility means any area, building, storage lot, field, or any other premises or place where one or more persons are engaged in altering, dismantling, reassembling or in any way concealing or disguising the identity of a stolen motor vehicle; or any area, building storage lot, field, or any other premises or place where there are three or more stolen motor vehicles present or where there are component parts from three or more stolen vehicles present.
(2) For the purpose of this section, “major component part” means one of the following sub-assemblies of a motor vehicle regardless of its actual market value; front end assembly, including fenders, grill, hood, bumper and related parts; engine; transmission; T-Tops; rear clip assembly, including quarter panels and floor panel assembly, doors, tires, tire wheels, frame, and continuous treads and other devices.
(3) “Motor vehicle” includes every device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway which is self-propelled or which may be connected to and towed by a self-propelled device, and also includes any and all other land based devices which are self-propelled but which are not designed for use upon a highway, including but not limited to farm machinery, bulldozers, and steam shovels.
(b) Any person who shall knowingly own, operate or conduct a theft facility or who knowingly aids and abets another person in owning, operating or conducting a theft facility shall be guilty of a Class C felony and shall be punishable as required by law. In addition to any punishment rendered, each such person convicted shall be subject to the laws regarding restitution of the state.
(c) Upon proper process and hearing as required by the State of Alabama in forfeiture proceedings, including notifying any lien holders, the following property may be seized and held for forfeiture, as described above, when any person is charged with a violation of this section, such forfeiture and sale to take place after conviction:
(1) Any engine, tool, machine, implement, device, chemical, or substance used or designed for altering, dismantling, reassembling or in any other way concealing or disguising the identity of a stolen motor vehicle or any major component part.
(2) Any stolen motor vehicle or major component part found at the site of a theft facility or any motor vehicle or major component part for which there is a probable cause to believe that it is stolen.
(3) A wrecker, car hauler, or any other motor vehicle that is used or has been used to convey or transport a stolen motor vehicle or major component part.
(d) All such proceeds of forfeiture and sale shall be divided equally between the district attorney’s fund who proceeded with the forfeiture and sale and the Alabama Department of Public Safety, auto theft division, or its successor.
(e) The records pertaining to a salvage vehicle, junk vehicle, new vehicle, rebuilt vehicle, or the parts of a vehicle, shall be available for inspection by an agent or employee of the Department of Public Safety during normal business hours.
(f) Failure to allow inspection or interference with an agent or employee of the Department of Public Safety inspecting the records of a rebuilder, salvage yard, motor vehicle dealer, reconditioner or salvage sales shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and shall be punishable as provided by law.

Legislative History

(Acts 1985, No. 85-650, p. 1010, §3.)