Opinion ID: 2582157
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The discovery tolling provision applies to theft against an at-risk adult.

Text: The discovery tolling provision clearly applies to theft, pursuant to section 18-4-401. § 16-5-401(4.5)(c). Theft against an at-risk adult enhances a general theft crime. Accordingly, it is immaterial that the discovery tolling provision does not expressly include or exclude thefts committed against at-risk adults. The statute of limitations tolling provision encompasses theft against an at-risk adult. This conclusion is consistent with the history of the discovery tolling provision and the theft against an at-risk adult provision. In 1991, the General Assembly enacted the at-risk adult provisions of sections 18-6.5-101 to -106, 1991 Colo. Sess. Laws, ch. 288, p. 1778, but left the at-risk adult provision in the general theft statute. [9] Until 1993, the Criminal Code thus contained repetitive statutory provisions requiring more severe penalties for thefts committed against at-risk adults. 1993 Colo. Sess. Laws, ch. 292, p. 1742. While the at-risk adults provision was still part of the general theft statute, the General Assembly, in 1992, amended the discovery tolling provision to apply to theft, pursuant to section 18-4-401. 1992 Colo. Sess. Laws, ch. 73, p. 400. The 1992 amendment did not contain any words of limitation to exclude any subsections of the general theft statute. 1992 Colo. Sess. Laws, ch. 73, p. 400. Thus, the broad reference to the general theft statute in the 1992 amendment included thefts that are punished more severely because the victim is at least sixty years old. In 1993, the General Assembly chose to strike the repetitive at-risk adults provision of the general theft statute, section 18-4-401(7), in favor of section 18-6.5-103(5), which it had placed within the consolidated at-risk adult provisions. 1993 Colo. Sess. Laws, ch. 292, p. 1742. When it made this decision, the General Assembly did not intend to exclude thefts committed against at-risk adults from the discovery tolling provision. To conclude otherwise would defeat the legislature's intent to protect this vulnerable group of citizens against concealed crimes, contrary to evident legislative policy choices. The discovery tolling provision initially applied only to offenses relating to the Uniform Commercial Code.1992 Colo. Sess. Laws, ch. 73, p. 400. In 1992, the General Assembly amended the discovery tolling provision to expand the number of crimes included under the statute. Id. The crimes added by the amendment share the quality of being crimes of deception that are capable of being concealed from the victim. The goal of the discovery tolling provision is to extend the limitations period for crimes that are susceptible to remaining undetected for extended periods of time, so that prosecution of such crimes will not be foreclosed as a result of concealment. See, e.g., LaFave, Israel & King, supra; Criminal Procedure § 18.5(a); Dieter, supra. Indeed, without the discovery tolling provision, our Criminal Code would provide surreptitious defendants a windfall for successfully concealing criminal conduct from their victims, contrary to the General Assembly's intent. We therefore conclude that the General Assembly intended the discovery tolling provision of the statute of limitations, section 16-5-401(4.5), to be applicable to theft committed against at-risk adults, an enhanced form of general theft.