§ 14‑56.1.  Breaking into or forcibly opening coin‑or currency‑operated machines.

Any person who forcibly breaks into, or by the unauthorized use of a key or other instrument opens, any coin‑or currency‑operated machine with intent to steal any property or moneys therein shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor, but if such person has previously been convicted of violating this section, such person shall be punished as a Class I felon.  The term "coin‑or currency‑operated machine" shall mean any coin‑or currency‑operated vending machine, pay telephone, telephone coin or currency receptacle, or other coin‑or currency‑activated machine or device.

There shall be posted on the machines referred to in G.S. 14‑56.1 a decal stating that it is a crime to break into vending machines, and that a second offense is a felony.  The absence of such a decal is not a defense to a prosecution for the crime described in this section. (1963, c. 814, s. 1; 1977, c. 723, ss. 1, 3; 1979, c. 760, s. 5; c. 767, s. 1; 1993, c. 539, ss. 27, 1153; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)