§ 63-2-506. Seizure of property - Notice of seizure and intended forfeiture proceeding - Verified answer and claim to property - Hearing - Evidence and proof - Proceeds of sale.

A.  Any peace officer of this state shall seize the following property:

1.  Any property described in subsection A of Section 2-503 of this title.  Such property shall be held as evidence until a forfeiture has been declared or release ordered, except for property described in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of subsection A of Section 2-503 of this title, or in the case of money, coins, and currency, deposited as provided in subsection E of Section 2-503 of this title; provided, any money, coins and currency taken or detained pursuant to this section may be deposited in an interest-bearing account by or at the direction of the district attorney in the office of the county treasurer if the district attorney determines the currency is not to be held as evidence.  All interest earned on such monies shall be returned to the claimant or forfeited with the money, coins and currency which was taken or detained as provided by law;

2.  Any property described in subsection B of Section 2-503 of this title; or

3.  Any property described in subsection C of Section 2-503 of this title.

B.  Notice of seizure and intended forfeiture proceeding shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the district court for the county wherein such property is seized and shall be given all owners and parties in interest.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no filing fees shall be assessed by the court clerk for the filing of any forfeiture action.

C.  Notice shall be given by the agency seeking forfeiture according to one of the following methods:

1.  Upon each owner or party in interest whose right, title or interest is of record in the Tax Commission, by mailing a copy of the notice by certified mail to the address as given upon the records of the Tax Commission;

2.  Upon each owner or party in interest whose name and address is known to the attorney in the office of the agency prosecuting the action to recover unpaid fines, by mailing a copy of the notice by registered mail to the last-known address; or

3.  Upon all other owners or interested parties, whose addresses are unknown, but who are believed to have an interest in the property, by one publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the county where the seizure was made.

D.  Within forty-five (45) days after the mailing or publication of the notice, the owner of the property and any other party in interest or claimant may file a verified answer and claim to the property described in the notice of seizure and of the intended forfeiture proceeding.

E.  If at the end of forty-five (45) days after the notice has been mailed or published there is no verified answer on file, the court shall hear evidence upon the fact of the unlawful use and shall order the property forfeited to the state, if such fact is proved.

F.  If a verified answer is filed, the forfeiture proceeding shall be set for hearing.

G.  At a hearing in a proceeding against property described in paragraphs 3 through 9 of subsection A or subsections B and C of Section 2-503 of this title, the requirements set forth in said paragraph or subsection, respectively, shall be satisfied by the state by a preponderance of the evidence.

H.  The claimant of any right, title, or interest in the property may prove a lien, mortgage, or conditional sales contract to be a bona fide or innocent ownership interest and that such right, title, or interest was created without any knowledge or reason to believe that the property was being, or was to be, used for the purpose charged.

I.  In the event of such proof, the court shall order the property released to the bona fide or innocent owner, lien holder, mortgagee or vendor if the amount due him is equal to, or in excess of, the value of the property as of the date of the seizure, it being the intention of this section to forfeit only the right, title or interest of the purchaser.

J.  If the amount due to such person is less than the value of the property, or if no bona fide claim is established, the property shall be forfeited to the state and sold under judgment of the court, as on sale upon execution, and as provided for in Section 2-508 of this title, except as otherwise provided for in Section 2-503 of this title.

K.  Property taken or detained under this section shall not be repleviable, but shall be deemed to be in the custody of the office of the district attorney of the county wherein the property was seized, subject only to the orders and decrees of the court or the official having jurisdiction thereof; said official shall maintain a true and accurate inventory and record of all such property seized under the provisions of this section.  The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to property taken or detained by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, the Department of Corrections or the Office of the Attorney General.  Property taken or detained by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, the Department of Corrections or the Office of the Attorney General shall be subject to the provisions of subsections E and F of Section 2-503 of this title.

L.  The proceeds of the sale of any property not taken or detained by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, the Department of Corrections or the Office of the Attorney General shall be distributed as follows, in the order indicated:

1.  To the bona fide or innocent purchaser, conditional sales vendor or mortgagee of the property, if any, up to the amount of his or her interest in the property, when the court declaring the forfeiture orders a distribution to such person;

2.  To the payment of the actual expenses of preserving the property and legitimate costs related to the civil forfeiture proceedings.  For purposes of this paragraph, the term “legitimate costs” shall not include court costs associated with any civil forfeiture proceeding; and

3.  The balance to a revolving fund in the office of the county treasurer of the county wherein the property was seized, said fund to be used as a revolving fund solely for enforcement of controlled dangerous substances laws, drug abuse prevention and drug abuse education, and maintained by the district attorney in his or her discretion for those purposes with a yearly accounting to the board of county commissioners in whose county the fund is established and to the District Attorneys Council; provided, one hundred percent (100%) of the balance of the proceeds of such sale of property forfeited due to nonpayment of a fine imposed pursuant to the provisions of Section 2-415 of this title shall be apportioned as provided in Section 2-416 of this title.  The revolving fund shall be audited by the State Auditor and Inspector at least every two (2) years in the manner provided in Section 171 of Title 19 of the Oklahoma Statutes.  Said audit shall include, but not be limited to, a compliance audit.  A district attorney may enter into agreements with municipal, tribal, county or state agencies to return to such an agency a percentage of proceeds of the sale of any property seized by the agency and forfeited under the provisions of this section.  The District Attorneys Council shall adopt guidelines which ensure that such agencies receive a reasonable percentage of such proceeds, considering the relative contribution of each agency to the drug enforcement and prosecution operations relating to the seizure.  In formulating said guidelines, the District Attorneys Council shall examine federal guidelines on asset distribution and use said guidelines as a basis for establishing guidelines for this state.  The Attorney General is hereby authorized to mediate disputes between district attorneys and such agencies concerning the application of said guidelines in particular instances.  Any agency that receives proceeds from an asset distribution shall maintain a true and accurate record of all such assets.

M.  Whenever any vehicle, airplane or vessel is forfeited under the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act, the district court of jurisdiction may order that the vehicle, airplane or vessel seized may be retained by the state, county or city law enforcement agency which seized the vehicle, airplane or vessel for its official use.

N.  If the court finds that the state failed to satisfy the required showing provided for in subsection G of this section, the court shall order the property released to the owner or owners.

O.  Except as provided for in subsection Q of this section, a bona fide or innocent owner, lien holder, mortgagee or vendor that recovers property pursuant to this section shall not be liable for storage fees.

P.  Except as provided for in subsection Q of this section, storage fees shall be paid by the agency which is processing the seizure and forfeiture from funds generated by seizure and forfeiture actions.

Q.  The bona fide or innocent owner, lien holder, mortgagee or vendor shall reclaim subject seized property within thirty (30) days of written notice from the seizing agency.  If such person fails to reclaim the property within the thirty-day time period, then storage fees may be assessed against their secured interest.

R.  1.  At any hearing held relevant to this section, a report of the findings of the laboratory of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the medical examiner’s report of investigation or autopsy report, or a laboratory report from a forensic laboratory operated by the State of Oklahoma or any political subdivision thereof, which has been made available to the accused by the office of the district attorney or other party to the forfeiture at least five (5) days prior to the hearing, with reference to all or part of the evidence submitted, when certified as correct by the persons making the report shall be received as evidence of the facts and findings stated, if relevant and otherwise admissible in evidence.  If such report is deemed relevant by the forfeiture applicant or the respondent, the court shall admit such report without the testimony of the person making the report, unless the court, pursuant to this subsection, orders such person to appear.

2.  When any alleged controlled dangerous substance has been submitted to the laboratory of the OSBI for analysis, and such analysis shows that the submitted material is a controlled dangerous substance, the distribution of which constitutes a felony under the laws of this state, no portion of such substance shall be released to any other person or laboratory except to the criminal justice agency originally submitting the substance to the OSBI for analysis, absent an order of a district court.  The defendant shall additionally be required to submit to the court a procedure for transfer and analysis of the subject material to ensure the integrity of the sample and to prevent the material from being used in any illegal manner.

3.  The court, upon motion of either party, shall order the attendance of any person preparing a report submitted as evidence in the hearing when it appears there is a substantial likelihood that material evidence not contained in said report may be produced by the testimony of any person having prepared a report.  The hearing shall be held and, if sustained, an order issued not less than five (5) days prior to the time when the testimony shall be required.

4.  If within five (5) days prior to the hearing or during a hearing, a motion is made pursuant to this section requiring a person having prepared a report to testify, the court may hear a report or other evidence but shall continue the hearing until such time notice of the motion and hearing is given to the person making the report, the motion is heard, and, if sustained, the testimony ordered can be given.

Added by Laws 1971, c. 119, § 2-506.  Amended by Laws 1978, c. 194, § 2, emerg. eff. April 14, 1978; Laws 1980, c. 102, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1980; Laws 1982, c. 153, § 2, operative Oct. 1, 1982; Laws 1985, c. 263, § 6, emerg. eff. July 15, 1985; Laws 1986, c. 240, § 11, eff. Nov. 1, 1986; Laws 1987, c. 136, § 6, eff. Nov. 1, 1987; Laws 1988, c. 236, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 1988; Laws 1990, c. 117, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1990; Laws 1990, c. 264, § 27, operative July 1, 1990; Laws 1991, c. 318, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Laws 1992, c. 64, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1992; Laws 1993, c. 57, § 2, eff. July 1, 1993; Laws 1994, c. 325, § 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1994; Laws 1995, c. 147, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 1996, c. 199, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 1996; Laws 1996, c. 347, § 3, emerg. eff. June 14, 1996; Laws 1997, c. 93, § 1, emerg. eff. April 11, 1997; Laws 2001, c. 31, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2001; Laws 2002, c. 460, § 36, eff. Nov. 1, 2002; Laws 2004, c. 537, § 3, emerg. eff. June 9, 2004; Laws 2007, c. 248, § 4, emerg. eff. June 4, 2007; Laws 2009, c. 442, § 14, eff. July 1, 2009.

Note

NOTE:  Laws 1991, c. 216, § 33 repealed by Laws 1992, c. 64, § 4, eff. Sept. 1, 1992.