§ 18-60-310 - Execution of writ of possession.
18-60-310. Execution of writ of possession.
(a) Upon receipt of a writ of possession from the clerk of the court, the sheriff shall immediately proceed to execute the writ in the specific manner described in this section and, if necessary, ultimately by ejecting from the property described in the writ the defendant or defendants and any other person or persons who shall have received or entered into the possession of the property after the issuance of the writ, and thereupon notify the plaintiff that the property has been vacated by the defendant or defendants.
(b) (1) Upon receipt of the writ, the sheriff shall notify the defendant of the issuance of the writ by delivering a copy thereof to the defendant or to any person authorized to receive summons in civil cases and in like manner.
(2) If, within eight (8) hours of receipt of the writ of possession, the sheriff shall not find any such person at their normal place of residence, he or she may serve the writ of possession by placing a copy conspicuously upon the front door or other structure of the property described in the complaint, which shall have like effect as if delivered in person pursuant to the terms of this section.
(c) (1) If, at the expiration of twenty-four (24) hours from the service of the writ of possession in the manner indicated, the defendants or any or either of them shall be and remain in possession of the property or possession has not been returned to the plaintiff, the sheriff shall notify the plaintiff or his or her attorney of that fact and shall be provided with all labor and assistance required by him or her in removing the possessions and belongings of the defendants from the affected property to a place of storage in a public warehouse or in some other reasonable safe place of storage under the control of the plaintiff until a final determination by the court.
(2) If the determination is in favor of the defendant, then the possessions and belongings of the defendant shall be immediately restored to the defendant with the cost of storage assessed against the plaintiff.
(3) If the determination is in favor of the plaintiff, and it includes a monetary judgment for the plaintiff, then the court shall order the possessions and belongings of the defendant sold by the plaintiff in a commercially reasonable manner with the proceeds of the sale applied first to the cost of storage, second to any monetary judgment in favor of the plaintiff, and third any excess to be remitted to the defendant.
(d) In executing the writ of possession, the sheriff shall have the right forcibly to remove all locks or other barriers erected to prevent entry upon the premises in any manner which he or she deems appropriate or convenient and, if necessary, physically to restrain the defendants from interfering with the removal of the defendants' property and possessions from the property described in the writ of possession.
(e) The plaintiff shall not be required to give any bond, unless ordered to do so by the court, as a condition to the execution of the writ by the sheriff.
(f) The sheriff shall return the writ at or before the return date of the writ and shall state in his or her return the manner in which he or she executed the writ and whether or not the properties described therein have been delivered to the plaintiff and, if not, the reason for his or her failure to do so.