§ 44-12-137 — Prohibited acts; penalties; presumption as to pledgor; replacement of lost or damaged goods

(a) Any pawnbroker and any clerk, agent, or employee of such pawnbroker who shall: (1) Fail to make an entry of any material matter in his permanent record book; (2) Make any false entry therein; (3) Falsify, obliterate, destroy, or remove from his place of business such permanent record book; (4) Refuse to allow any duly authorized law enforcement officer who is certified by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council or who is a federal officer to inspect his permanent record book or any goods in his possession during the ordinary hours of business or at any reasonable time; (5) Fail to maintain a record of each pawn transaction for at least four years; (6) Accept a pledge or purchase property from a person under the age of 18 years or who the pawnbroker knows is not the true owner of such property; (7) Make any agreement requiring the personal liability of a pledgor or seller or waiving any of the provisions of this part or providing for a maturity date less than one month after the date of the pawn transaction; or (8) Fail to return or replace pledged goods to a pledgor or seller upon payment of the full amount due the pawnbroker unless the pledged goods have been taken into custody by a court or a law enforcement officer or agency, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) Any person properly identifying himself and presenting a pawn ticket to the pawnbroker shall be presumed to be the pledgor or seller and shall be entitled to redeem the pledged goods described in such ticket. In the event such pledged goods are lost or damaged while in the possession of the pawnbroker, it shall be the responsibility of the pawnbroker to replace the lost or damaged goods with like kinds of merchandise and proof of replacement shall be a defense to prosecution. For the purposes of this subsection, "lost" includes destroyed or having disappeared because of any cause, whether known or unknown, that results in the pledged goods being unavailable for return to the pledgor.