Sec. 53-134. Possession of outboard motor having defaced factory or engine number.

      Sec. 53-134. Possession of outboard motor having defaced factory or engine number. (a) No person shall have in his possession any outboard motor bearing an engine or factory number which shows evidence of having been altered or defaced except as hereinafter provided. Any officer, upon discovery of any outboard motor, the engine number or factory number of which has been altered or defaced, shall immediately take such motor into his custody and shall produce the same before a proper court and may take into custody the person having such motor in his possession and present him before such court. Such person may be admitted to bail pending proceedings on such matter.

      (b) Any person who knowingly has in his possession any outboard motor of which the engine number, factory number, serial number or other identification number has been altered or defaced shall forthwith file with the Commissioner of Public Safety a sworn statement describing such motor and showing the source of his title and, if known, the reason for such alteration or defacement. If satisfied as to the facts, the commissioner may grant permission to cut, impress or emboss permanently into the motor a special identification number or mark. No person shall wilfully alter or deface or cause to be altered or defaced any engine number, factory number, serial number or other identification number or mark on or from any outboard motor.

      (c) Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both.

      (1949 Rev., S. 8471; 1961, P.A. 517, S. 111; P.A. 77-614, S. 486, 610.)

      History: 1961 act deleted references to jurisdiction of trial justices, who were abolished; P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of state police with commissioner of public safety, effective January 1, 1979.

      Cited. 19 CA 571.