{"data":{"id":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-266-145","jurisdiction":"us-ma","citation":"Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 266, § 145","heading":"Theft of public records","body":"Section 145. Any person who intentionally conceals upon his person or otherwise any record of the commonwealth or a political subdivision thereof, as defined in section three of chapter sixty-six, with the intention of permanently depriving said commonwealth or said political subdivision of its use shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars.\nA custodian of such records or his agent who has probable cause to believe that a person has violated the provisions of this section may detain such person in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable time.\nA law enforcement officer may arrest without warrant any person he has probable cause to believe has violated the provisions of this section. The statement of a custodian of such records or his agent that a person has violated the provisions of this section shall constitute probable cause for arrest by a law enforcement officer authorized to make an arrest in such jurisdiction.","path":["Part IV","Title I","Chapter 266"],"source_url":"https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter266/Section145","current_through":"amendments passed before May 31, 2026","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-17T05:25:13Z","sha256":"0c525144b84314bdf25b26f1565e203bbb035bf26e779cd9d93507694e835c90","source_id":"us-ma","stale":false,"prev":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-266-144","next":"us-ma/mass.-gen.-laws-ch.-266-146"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}