Any unclaimed property seized in connection with any criminal investigation under the jurisdiction of any sheriff, Orleans excepted, shall, if it remains unclaimed for more than one year after its use or from the time it was last used in connection with any criminal proceeding, be disposed of in the following manner:
(1) After the lapse of one year any sheriff may petition the court having proper jurisdiction for the disposal of said property in any lawful manner.
(2) Before any sheriff petitions said court he shall cause an advertisement of his intention to seek approval of the court to be placed in the newspaper designated as the official journal of the parish one time at least ten days prior to filing of his petition, and shall mail a copy of the advertisement to the last known owner at his last known address, postage prepaid. In the petition for disposal the sheriff shall set forth a brief description of the items to be disposed of, the court in which the proceedings will be filed, the title of the proceedings, and method or methods of intended disposal.
(3) The petition of the sheriff shall make specific recommendations as to the method of disposal for each item of unclaimed property and pray for the court to order its disposal.
(4) The court shall order the property disposed of in the manner contained in the sheriff's petition or order the disposal of the property in any legal manner within the sole discretion of the court.
(5) The costs of the proceedings to dispose of unclaimed property shall be derived from the disposal of the property as provided under this Subsection.
(6) Any funds remaining after payment of the cost of the proceedings to dispose of unclaimed property shall be deposited in the sheriff's salary fund.
Added by Acts 1975, No. 545, §1.