I found a Wrist Watch in a public place in Connecticut. Can I keep it?
Full Question:
I am living in Connecticut and yesterday I found a Wrist Watch (Emporio Armani) in a public place. I checked the nearby areas to find the owner but couldn't. In such circumstances, can I keep the watch till I find the owner? If after a reasonable time, the real owner is not traced, can I use the property?
04/12/2017 |
Category: Abandoned Property |
State: Connecticut |
#35560
Answer:
However, if no owner claims such article within six months from the receipt thereof by the police department you may use the property. You should demand the property within thirty days from the expiration of the six months period.
Relevant sections dealing with abandoned property are quoted below for reference:
Sec. 50-10. Duties of finder.
Any person who finds and takes possession of any article of the value of one dollar or more shall report the finding of such article to the police department of the municipality in which he finds such article within forty-eight hours from the time of such finding. The finder of such article shall, at the time of reporting, furnish to the police department the date, time and place of finding, his name and address and a description of the article found, and, within a period of one week from such finding, shall deliver such article to the police department. Any person who violates or fails to comply with the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor.
Sec. 50-13. Procedure if unclaimed.
If no owner claims such article within six months from the receipt thereof by the police department, the police department shall, within two weeks thereafter, notify the finder of such fact by registered or certified mail at his last-known address, and the article or the proceeds thereof shall be turned over to the finder, upon demand by him within thirty days from the expiration of the six months' period and upon payment or deduction of all proper charges; but, if such finder fails to demand such article or the proceeds thereof or refuses to pay such charges within thirty days from the expiration of the six months' period, such article or proceeds shall belong to such municipality. The requirement of notification may be omitted when the value or estimated value of the article is less than five dollars.
Sec. 50-2. Disposition of goods not perishable.
All goods not perishable, left with any person or upon any public wharf or highway, and all goods, other than personal baggage of passengers, which are left at any railroad station or in any railroad car or carriage, and whose owner is unknown or neglects to take them away for six months from the time when they were left, shall be advertised one month in a newspaper published in the county where such goods were left. If the owner thereof does not take them away within such month, they may be sold and the proceeds disposed of in the manner provided in section 50-1.
Sec. 50-3. Expressmen and common carriers; goods not perishable.
Each person engaged in the express business, and each common carrier, who has in his possession for six months any unclaimed article not perishable, may sell it at auction and out of the proceeds retain the charges of transportation and storage and of advertising and sale. No such sale shall be made until four weeks after the first publication, in a newspaper published in the county in which the place is located to which such unclaimed article or articles are consigned or addressed, of a notice of such sale, containing a description of such articles and the name of the person to whom directed; and the expense of advertising shall be a lien upon the articles advertised, in a ratable proportion according to the amount received for each article. Such notice shall be published at least twice within said four weeks. No such article or articles shall be removed or transported from the place to which consigned until after the expiration of such four weeks.