Loud Motorcycle Complaints in Owatonna

It's a rite of spring in Owatonna. When the weather warms up, which it does some years, residents fire up their motorcycles. And sometimes that leads to problems. The Owatonna Police Department reports in their weekly newsletter Just the Facts, "This time of year generates complaints by citizens about the loud noise projected from some motorcycle exhaust systems."

The department reminds riders about the city ordinance, that a motorcycle must be "equipped at all time with a muffler in good working order which blends the exhaust noise into the overall motorcycle noise and is in constant operation to prevent excessive or unusual noise."

City ordinance also adds that exhaust systems cannot "emit or produce a sharp popping or crackling noise."

PURSUIT ENDS IN CRASH INTO HOME

Owatonna officers took a driver into custody after she crashed a vehicle into a home in the northeast part of town. Just the Facts reports that an officer attempted to stop a vehicle for traffic violations.

"The vehicle accelerated rapidly starting a pursuit and blew through two stop signs. Due to the circumstances, the officer elected to slow down. As the officer approached the area where he had seen brake lights, he observed the suspect vehicle went off the road and crashed into a home."

The suspect was found a short time later and arrested. Charges include "fleeing a police officer in [a] motor vehicle, careless driving, and driving after revocation."

No one was injured inside the home.