A. The owner or person having a lien or encumbrance upon a vehicle or motor vehicle that has been stolen or embezzled may notify the New Mexico state police or other appropriate law enforcement agency of the theft or embezzlement but, in the event of an embezzlement, may make a report only after having procured the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of the person charged with the embezzlement.
B. Every owner or other person who has given any such notice shall immediately notify the New Mexico state police or the law enforcement agency that took the report of a recovery of the vehicle.
History: 1953 Comp., § 64-3-502, enacted by Laws 1978, ch. 35, § 89; 2009, ch. 253, § 9; 2009, ch. 261, § 9.
ANNOTATIONSThe 2009 amendment, effective July 1, 2009, in Subsection A, after "encumbrance upon a", changed "registered vehicle which" to "vehicle or motor vehicle that" and after "state police", added "or other appropriate law enforcement agency"; and in Subsection B, after "state police", added "or the law enforcement agency that took the report".
Laws 2009, ch. 253, § 9 and Laws 2009, ch. 261, § 9 enacted identical amendments to this section. The section was set out as amended by Laws 2009, ch. 261, § 9. See 12-1-8 NMSA 1978.
Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — Nature and extent of insured's duty to seek retrieval of stolen automobile, 9 A.L.R.4th 405.