Connecticut General Statutes 14-149 – Mutilated or removed vehicle identification, factory or engine number. Discovery of vehicle reported as stolen or of vehicle or major component part with mutilated or missing identification, engine or factory num…
(a) No person shall purchase, sell or have in such person’s possession any motor vehicle, including construction equipment, or a major component part thereof, as defined in § 14-67h, or agricultural tractors or farm implements with a mutilated, altered or removed vehicle identification, factory or engine number or a number which shows evidence of having been tampered with, except as hereinafter provided.
Attorney's Note
Under the Connecticut General Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:| Class | Prison | Fine |
|---|---|---|
| Class D felony | up to 5 years | up to $5,000 |
Terms Used In Connecticut General Statutes 14-149
- Agricultural tractor: means a tractor or other form of nonmuscular motive power used for transporting, hauling, plowing, cultivating, planting, harvesting, reaping or other agricultural purposes on any farm or other private property, or used for the purpose of transporting, from one farm to another, agricultural implements and farm products, provided the agricultural tractor is not used on any highway for transporting a pay load or for some other commercial purpose. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
- Commissioner: includes the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles and any assistant to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles who is designated and authorized by, and who is acting for, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles under a designation. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Dealer: includes any person actively engaged in buying, selling or exchanging motor vehicles or trailers who has an established place of business in this state and who may, incidental to such business, repair motor vehicles or trailers, or cause them to be repaired by persons in his or her employ. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- farm: includes farm buildings, and accessory buildings thereto, nurseries, orchards, ranges, greenhouses, hoophouses and other temporary structures or other structures used primarily for the raising and, as an incident to ordinary farming operations, the sale of agricultural or horticultural commodities. See Connecticut General Statutes 1-1
- Farm implement: means a vehicle designed and adapted exclusively for agricultural, horticultural or livestock-raising operations and which is not operated on a highway for transporting a pay load or for any other commercial purpose. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Felony: means any offense, as defined in §. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Motor vehicle: means any vehicle propelled or drawn by any nonmuscular power, except aircraft, motor boats, road rollers, baggage trucks used about railroad stations or other mass transit facilities, electric battery-operated wheel chairs when operated by persons with physical disabilities at speeds not exceeding fifteen miles per hour, golf carts operated on highways solely for the purpose of crossing from one part of the golf course to another, golf-cart-type vehicles operated on roads or highways on the grounds of state institutions by state employees, agricultural tractors, farm implements, such vehicles as run only on rails or tracks, self-propelled snow plows, snow blowers and lawn mowers, when used for the purposes for which they were designed and operated at speeds not exceeding four miles per hour, whether or not the operator rides on or walks behind such equipment, motor-driven cycles, as defined in §. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Officer: includes any constable, state marshal, inspector of motor vehicles, state policeman or other official authorized to make arrests or to serve process, provided the officer is in uniform or displays the officer's badge of office in a conspicuous place when making an arrest. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Operator: means any person who operates a motor vehicle or who steers or directs the course of a motor vehicle being towed by another motor vehicle and includes a driver. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Owner: means any person holding title to a motor vehicle, or having the legal right to register the same, including purchasers under conditional bills of sale. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, limited liability company, association, copartnership, company, firm, business trust or other aggregation of individuals but does not include the state or any political subdivision thereof, unless the context clearly states or requires. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Registration: includes the certificate of motor vehicle registration and the number plate or plates used in connection with such registration. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- State: means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia unless the context indicates a more specific reference to the state of Connecticut. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
- Vehicle: includes any device suitable for the conveyance, drawing or other transportation of persons or property, whether operated on wheels, runners, a cushion of air or by any other means. See Connecticut General Statutes 14-1
(b) Any officer attached to an organized police department, any state police officer or inspector of the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon discovery of any motor vehicle, including construction equipment, or major component part thereof, as defined in § 14-67h, or agricultural tractors or farm implements, the vehicle identification, engine or factory number of which has been mutilated, altered or removed, shall take such motor vehicle or major component part if not affixed to such vehicle, or agricultural tractor or farm implement into custody. Except as provided in subsection (c) of this section, any such motor vehicle or major component part or agricultural tractor or farm implement shall be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of § 54-36a, and in the case of a motor vehicle for which the owner, registration or title has been identified, a report of such action shall be made to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. Such officer or inspector may take into custody the operator of such motor vehicle or agricultural tractor or farm implement or person in possession of such part and present such operator or person before a proper court. No such operator or person shall be discharged from custody until such operator or person has proved to the satisfaction of the court the ownership of such motor vehicle or such part or such agricultural tractor or farm implement and such operator’s or person’s right to its custody, provided any such operator or person may be admitted to bail pending proceedings thereon. If such operator or person is unable to establish ownership of such motor vehicle or such part or such agricultural tractor or farm implement to the satisfaction of the court, the court shall order such motor vehicle or part to be forfeited and turned over to the police department or agency whose officer or inspector seized such motor vehicle or part or agricultural tractor or farm implement to be used for such department or agency’s purposes or sold at auction with the proceeds given to such department or agency. No officer or inspector shall be personally liable for any official act performed under the provisions of this section.
(c) Any inspector of the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon discovery of any motor vehicle or major component part, the vehicle identification, engine or factory number of which has been mutilated, altered or removed in the possession of any licensee of the department, including a new or used car dealer who has been issued an auction permit in accordance with the provisions of § 14-65, or a motor vehicle dealer or repairer authorized to tow or transport and store motor vehicles in accordance with the provisions of § 14-66, shall take such motor vehicle or major component part into custody. If the motor vehicle or major component part is owned by any such licensee or an insurance company, or if such licensee or insurance company has the right to transfer and dispose of such vehicle or major component part, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles may, upon receipt of transfer of title or forfeiture of all right and interest therein and notwithstanding the method of disposition required under subsection (b) of this section, make any disposition of such motor vehicle or major component part that the commissioner deems necessary or advisable. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to construction equipment, agricultural tractors or farm implements, the vehicle identification, engine or factory number of which has been mutilated, altered or removed.
(d) Any officer attached to an organized police department, any state police officer or inspector of the Department of Motor Vehicles, upon discovery of any motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement which has been reported as stolen, shall take such motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement into custody and have it returned to its rightful owner or, if such owner cannot be determined or if such motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement is needed for evidence, shall have it taken to and stored in a suitable place.
(e) No motor vehicle shall be registered unless it has permanently cut, impressed or embossed on some portion thereof a factory, serial or identification number or mark. Any person who knowingly has in such person’s possession any motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement from which the factory, serial or other identification number has been removed, defaced, obliterated or changed shall immediately file with the commissioner a sworn statement describing such motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement and showing the source of such person’s title and, if known, the reason for such removal, defacement, obliteration or change, together with a fee in the amount of fifty dollars. If satisfied as to the facts, the commissioner may grant permission to cut, impress or emboss permanently into the motor of such motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement a special identification number or mark which shall thereafter be deemed sufficient for the purpose of registration of such motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement. No person shall wilfully remove, deface, obliterate or change or cause to be removed, obliterated, defaced or changed any factory, serial or other identification number or mark on or from any motor vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural tractor or farm implement.
(f) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall, for the first offense, be guilty of a class E felony, and, for the second or subsequent offense, be guilty of a class D felony.