TULSA, Okla. — Three business days after 2News first aired the story of Jimmy and Jabrion Hardin, the Department of Public Safety signed an order, agreeing to return $62,000 (plus interest) and guns that were seized during an Oklahoma Highway Patrol traffic stop near Big Cabin.
Local News
Man says $62k taken from him by OHP in civil forfeiture
However, the Hardins still don’t have the money.
The legal, but controversial practice is called civil asset forfeiture—when law enforcement seizes property, and it is up to the owner to prove the property isn’t a result of drugs or other criminal activity.
WATCH: Oklahoma DPS returns seized $62k in civil asset forfeiture case:
When we interviewed the Hardins on July 18, they had been fighting to get the money back for nearly a year.
Jabrion was driving through Oklahoma with his brother, Jimmy, when he got pulled over. Jabrion had recently won a settlement from Juul, but did not trust banks to deposit it.
“I had never dealt with that type of money in my life, so I wanted to pull it and have it in my hands,” he told us. “That’s how I knew it was safe. I know that’s not how you do things, but it’s not unlawful to do so.”
The Department of Public Safety (over OHP) confirms that after signing an agreement, a check was dated Aug. 14 and signed by the Hardin's attorney on Sept. 5.
Now the money is with the attorney’s office.
“I feel like OHP did everything on their part, but now it’s just a waiting game,” said Jimmy via Zoom.
The reason Jabrion got the settlement money was due to seizures suffered from vaping. He has had to borrow money from family to pay for the cost of his medication and ration it.
“It costs for medication, it’s not free,” said Jimmy. “That holdup has made us closer as a family, but we were going to do that anyway.”
2 News reached out to Aaron Grubb, the attorney with the Wirth Law Firm. He said the hold up is a minor paperwork issue on the Hardins’ end.
Jimmy says they are trying to be patient, but feel they are being filled with excuses for what should be a simple task.
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