2009 Louisiana Laws TITLE 14 Criminal law :: RS 14:67.26 Theft of a motor vehicle

§67.26.  Theft of a motor vehicle

A.  Theft of a motor vehicle is the intentional performance of any of the following acts:

(1)  The taking of a motor vehicle, which belongs to another, either without the owner's consent or by means of fraudulent conduct, practices, or representations, with the intention to permanently deprive the owner of the motor vehicle; or

(2)  The taking control of a motor vehicle that is lost or mis-delivered under circumstances which provide a means of inquiry as to the true owner, and the person in control of the motor vehicle does not make reasonable efforts to notify or locate the true owner; or

(3)  The taking control of a motor vehicle when the person knows or should have known that the motor vehicle has been stolen.

B.(1)  A person who alleges that there has been a theft of a motor vehicle shall attest to that fact by signing an affidavit provided by the law enforcement officer or agency which shall indicate that a person who falsely reports a theft of a motor vehicle may be subject to criminal penalties under Subsection E of this Section.

(2)  If the affidavit is not taken in person by a law enforcement officer or agency, the person who alleges that the theft of a motor vehicle has occurred shall mail or deliver a signed and notarized affidavit to the appropriate law enforcement agency within seven days.

C.(1)  Whoever commits the crime of theft of a motor vehicle when the misappropriation or taking amounts to a sum of one thousand five hundred dollars or more shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than ten years, or may be fined not more than three thousand dollars, or both.

(2)  Whoever commits the crime of theft of a motor vehicle when the misappropriation or taking amounts to a sum of five hundred dollars or more but less than one thousand five hundred dollars shall be imprisoned, with or without hard labor, for not more than five years, or may be fined not more than two thousand dollars, or both.

(3)  Whoever commits the crime of theft of a motor vehicle when the misappropriation or taking amounts to a sum of less than five hundred dollars shall be imprisoned for not more than six months, or may be fined not more than one thousand dollars, or both.

D.  When there has been a misappropriation or taking by a number of distinct acts of the offender, the aggregate of the amount of the misappropriations or takings shall determine the grade of the offense.

E.  Whoever commits the crime of filing a false affidavit to support an alleged theft of a motor vehicle shall be imprisoned for not more than five years with or without hard labor or shall be fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both.

Acts 2008, No. 633, §1; Acts 2010, No. 585, §1.

Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Louisiana may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.