Fourth Circuit lets Lexington County keep seized motorcycles

A financing company in South Carolina lost its fight to get back two Harley-Davidson motorcycles that Lexington County deputies took during a murder investigation and later prosecution. American Acceptance Corporation of SC held a security interest in the bikes and sued under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, the federal civil-rights law, after saying the sheriff’s department kept the property without notice or a hearing.

In a published opinion filed May 12, 2026, the Fourth Circuit left the seizure in place. The panel said the motorcycles were lawful evidence in an active criminal case, so the department did not owe AAC any additional process before holding onto them.

Evidence beats collateral

AAC had bought the retail installment contracts tied to the motorcycles. One rider was shot and killed during a shootout between rival motorcycle gangs, and deputies collected that motorcycle at the scene as material evidence. The other was seized under a search warrant after its rider was arrested and later charged with murder, conspiracy and attempted murder.

The court said the Fourth Amendment, which governs searches and seizures, supplied the relevant process here, not the broader notice-and-hearing rule AAC wanted to use under the Fourteenth Amendment. Because the bikes were properly seized and still needed for the investigation and prosecution, the sheriff’s department could keep them under South Carolina evidence rules.

What it means for lenders

The ruling matters most for lienholders and other businesses that finance cars, motorcycles and other valuable property. The decision narrows the argument that a security interest alone can force police to return seized property while a criminal case is still open.

The ordinary rule that seized property is returned after a case ends still remains. But for lenders, this case shows how quickly a financed vehicle can stop being collateral and become evidence first.