If it appears to any of the officers specified in § 19-26-5 that any article or articles that have been pawned have been stolen, the officer may give notice in writing to the pawnbroker to hold the article or articles, and the pawnbroker shall thereafter hold the article or articles for sixty (60) days, unless the notice is recalled in writing by the officer giving it. The article or articles shall be subject to inspection of the officer and any person with the officer at all reasonable times, and the article or articles shall be produced on notice or summons before any court or grand jury if the question of the larceny of the article or articles is under investigation. The pawnbroker shall not be liable in damages or otherwise on account of the detention. Any person who willfully hinders, obstructs, or prevents the officer from inspecting the article or articles, or violates any provision of this section, shall be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500), or be imprisoned not exceeding six (6) months.

History of Section.
G.L. 1896, ch. 105, § 16; P.L. 1909, ch. 435, § 5; G.L. 1923, ch. 131, § 16; G.L. 1938, ch. 364, § 16; G.L. 1956, § 19-26-6.