Ask Officer Michelle – Question #560
Posted by Jdemianew
I know this question may seem a bit odd since the nature of it probably is not viewed in the best light by the police but anyway. So me and my GF started to grow pot after we got our cannabis cards. She wanted to grow in her closet so that’s where we did it. Unfortunately her parents recently found out (we’re both over 18, but she still lives at home) and they didn’t like the idea of pot being grown in their home. So I wanted to get all my stuff and move it out of there. Well my GFs dad decided that he was going to keep all my stuff, and if he saw me anywhere near the house he threatened to kick my ass. So i am wondering, is it possible for a police officer to escort me to their residence and have them give me my stuff back. It wouldn’t be a big deal if it was not 100s of dollars worth of equipment. I know we did it without their permission, but i had the permission of a resident who is over the age (i don’t know if that matters at all). So i just wanted to know is it ok for him to just keep all my stuff and never give it back to me? Cause in my mind that’s stealing.
Dear Jdemianew
Thank you for your inquiry. From what I understand, you want to retrieve property from your girlfriend’s parent’s home that you had there with your girlfriend’s permission. With respect to law enforcement action that can be taken, we could only ask the homeowner to give you this property that you feel is rightfully yours, but we couldn’t force him to. If the homeowner denies a request to give it back to you, then civil court would be your next arena to discuss getting the property back. You mentioned that you feel this situation is considered “stealing.” There are specific elements that need to exist for law enforcement to consider situations stealing and for police action to be taken to retrieve property. This situation, based on the information you provided, is not considered criminal. You may want to file an online police report so you have this documented in case you need it later. I hope this information helps.
Officer Michelle
