Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 943 - Crimes against property.
943.37 - Alteration of property identification marks.

943.37 Alteration of property identification marks. Whoever does any of the following with intent to prevent the identification of the property involved is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor:
(1) Alters or removes any identification mark on any log or other lumber without the consent of the owner; or
(2) Alters or removes any identification mark from any receptacle used by the manufacturer of any beverage; or
(3) Alters or removes any manufacturer's identification number on personal property or possesses any personal property with knowledge that the manufacturer's identification number has been removed or altered. Possession of 2 or more similar items of personal property with the manufacturer's identification number altered or removed is prima facie evidence of knowledge of the alteration or removal and of an intent to prevent identification of the property.
(4) Alters or removes livestock brands, recorded under s. 95.11, from any animal without the owner's consent, or possesses any livestock with knowledge that the brand has been altered or removed without the owner's knowledge or consent.
History: 1973 c. 239; 1977 c. 173.
“Similar" under sub. (3) means comparable or substantially alike. State v. Hamilton, 146 Wis. 2d 426, 432 N.W.2d 108 (Ct. App. 1988).

Structure Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations