2019 Massachusetts General Laws
Part IV - Crimes, Punishments and Proceedings in Criminal Cases
Title I - Crimes and Punishments
Chapter 266 - Crimes Against Property
Section 145 - Theft of Public Records
Section 145. Any person who intentionally conceals upon his person or otherwise any record of the commonwealth or a political subdivision thereof, as defined in section three of chapter sixty-six, with the intention of permanently depriving said commonwealth or said political subdivision of its use shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.
A custodian of such records or his agent who has probable cause to believe that a person has violated the provisions of this section may detain such person in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable time.
A law enforcement officer may arrest without warrant any person he has probable cause to believe has violated the provisions of this section. The statement of a custodian of such records or his agent that a person has violated the provisions of this section shall constitute probable cause for arrest by a law enforcement officer authorized to make an arrest in such jurisdiction.
