46.2-1200.1 - Abandoning motor vehicles prohibited; penalty.
§ 46.2-1200.1. Abandoning motor vehicles prohibited; penalty.
No person shall cause any motor vehicle to become an abandoned motor vehicleas defined in § 46.2-1200. In any prosecution for a violation of thissection, proof that the defendant was, at the time that the vehicle was foundabandoned, the owner of the vehicle shall constitute in evidence a rebuttablepresumption that the owner was the person who committed the violation. Suchpresumption, however, shall not arise if the owner of the vehicle providednotice to the Department, as provided in § 46.2-604, that he had sold orotherwise transferred the ownership of the vehicle.
A summons for a violation of this section shall be executed by mailing a copyof the summons by first-class mail to the address of the owner of the vehicleas shown on the records of the Department of Motor Vehicles. If the personfails to appear on the date of return set out in the summons, a new summonsshall be issued and delivered to the sheriff of the county, city, or town forservice on the accused personally. If the person so served then fails toappear on the date of return set out in the summons, proceedings for contemptshall be instituted.
Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be subject to acivil penalty of no more than $500. If any person fails to pay any suchpenalty, his privilege to drive a motor vehicle on the highways of theCommonwealth shall be suspended as provided in § 46.2-395.
All penalties collected under this section shall be paid into the statetreasury to be credited to the Literary Fund as provided in § 46.2-114.
(1990, c. 725.)