Kansas committee hears changes to theft statute to ease prosecution of stolen vehicles

The House Committee on Judiciary heard testimony Thursday on House Bill 2347, a proposal that would alter Kansas theft law to let prosecutors rely on an objective "reason to know" standard for possession of stolen property and make motor vehicles stolen at values below $1,500 a severity level 10 nonperson felony.

Supporters said the bill targets common theft scenarios in which a person is found inside a vehicle taken from another person but there are no witnesses to the original theft. The change to the knowledge requirement would allow juries to consider outward evidence — broken glass, a punched steering column or lack of keys — when determining whether someone “had reason to know” the vehicle was stolen.

"The prosecutor shouldn't have to prove what's in the mind of the thief," said Jan…