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Police holding my purse as evidence? What is legal, how long can they hold it, do they have the right to hold it?
Anonymous4 views3 answers
A relative had my purse in her shopping cart while she got caught with misdameaner theft. The police is now holding my purse and my personal property in it. The detective said it was evidence!! Evidence for what??? There was no stolen property in the purse. I need my money, ID, and credit cards, everything. How long are they allowed to hold it and is it legal for them to hold it?
Evidence to prove that your relative stole something, and what she stole. You can certainly request that they return your id, money and credit cards, and if they won't release it contact the prosecutor and ask that the prosecutor direct them to release it. The prosecutor will determine what evidence is needed for a conviction. Otherwise they may hold the purse and its contents until after any trial and appeals from the conviction in case they may need to try the case again.
Okorie OkorochaDUI / DWI AttorneyStudio City, CA ·
If the court case is pending, you can ask the judge in the case to release the purse or certain contents if your jurisdiction has such a procedure. I would check with an attorney in your area.
Thomas C GallagherCriminal Defense AttorneyMinneapolis, MN ·
"Identity" is an element of every crime, which the police and prosecutor must prove in order to get a conviction. Vicarious liability crimes, such as criminal conspiracy crimes, can involve more than one person.
Police can hold evidence of crimes in pending cases. Police can release it, or a court could do so. You may wish to consult a criminal defense lawyer about this.
FFI: http://www.liberty-lawyer.com/theftandpropertycrimes.html
