HERBERT R. O'CONOR, GOVERNOR. 1037

(d) In every instance in which a law enforcement officer or
a member of the State's Attorney's office shall inform the said
property clerk that that said property is required to be re-
tained by such officer for the time being for the purpose of in-
vestigating crime or for use as evidence in the trial of a crim-
inal case, the said clerk shall, after duly registering said prop-
erty, return same to the officer for such use. All property thus
returned to any officer shall, after having served its purpose
for investigation or as evidence, be redelivered to the clerk who
shall thereupon give a receipt for same.

(e) It shall be the duty of the property clerk to return any
property in his possession to its rightful owner at any time,
upon satisfactory evidence of ownership and after obtaining
proper receipt therefor; provided, however, that no property
shall be so returned without having first obtained the approval
of the State's Attorney of the county, and confiscated prop-
erty shall be returned to owner only on order of the Court.

(f) The property clerk shall file with the County Commis-
sioners on the first Tuesday of July in each year a report in
writing, under oath, of all the property in his possession as of
the last day of the preceding June, and which has not been
theretofore returned to the proper owner under authority from
the State's Attorney. The said report shall give in detail all
information concerning each item of property as same appears
on the record book which he is required to keep.

(g) The County Commissioners shall refer said report to
their attorney for study and advice as to the appropriate law-
ful distribution to be made of each item of property listed in
said report and the said attorney shall advise the Commis-
sioner to direct the clerk to make such disposition of each item
as may appear to be lawful and appropriate either by sale, de-
struction or otherwise.

(h) Any person violating the provisions of this section shall
upon conviction thereof, be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor
and subject to a fine of not more than One Hundred ($100. 00)
Dollars for each such violation.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall take
effect June 1, 1945.

Approved April 27, 1945.

CHAPTER 828.
(House Bill 695)

AN ACT to add a new section to Article 15 of the Code of
Public Local Laws of Maryland (1930 Edition), title "Kent