In re Forfeiture of Property: 1981 Oldsmobile, VIN 1G3AZ57N2BE32296

BARFIELD, Judge.

Michael Etheridge and his wife, Maria Etheridge, timely appeal the forfeiture of the 1981 Oldsmobile he was driving on October 8, 1990, when he was arrested for possession of cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.1 The parties do not dispute that section 932.703, Florida Statutes (1989), applies in this case. However, in his response to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department’s motion for forfeiture, Etheridge raised the “innocent owner” exception to the statute, asserting that the vehicle was solely owned by Mrs. Ether-idge, who was out of town on business and “had no…