Suppose a someone receives a felony conviction and is headed to jail for a while. This person’s home needs to be sold, and therefore cleaned out. If it contains illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, illegal weapons, and the like, how should such items best be handled by those cleaning out the home? The primary goal is to protect those people cleaning out the home. How should this be dealt with in a legal manner? Can it be dealt with legally without getting the person in further trouble with the law? Assume this is in the US, Washington State.
I’ll use the word “you” to refer to the person who knows about said illicit stuff. I have no idea who actually knows about it.
If “you” are only tangentially related to the convict and their home, “you” could advise the local police. Most police departments have anonymous tip lines if “you” don’t want to get too closely involved. The police and cleaning people will appreciate not having any surprise encounters with hypothetical things like guns in the closets or meth cooking chemicals in the garage.
If “you” don’t do this, some hapless cleaning crew will come across it, and they’ll have to call the cops anyway.
The boat to Trouble has already sailed for the unlucky person. If “you” try to go to their home and act as a “porn buddy” then “you” will be in posession of whatever illegal things and wide-open to arrest and prosecution.
Ultimately, the best route is probably for the convicted person (or their attorney) to advise the police themselves. If “you” know who their attorney is, give 'em a call.
Thanks for the response.
To clarify the situation, the people cleaning out the house would be relatives of the jailed person (not me). These people need a legal plan of action in case such stuff is encountered. The existence of such stuff is not known, just assumed.
The relatives need to consult a lawyer licensed in the state of Washington before doing anything. I don’t know what the civil forfeiture laws are like in Washington, but in some jurisdictions property that is used in the commission of a crime may be seized by police, regardless of whether the person who allegedly used the property is convicted or even owns the property in question. SCOTUS has upheld civil forfeiture as constitutional. And since the person in this case has already been convicted I imagine that would make a forfeiture of the house that much easier if contraband were found within.
IANAL, etc.