McCook Mayor Terrance Carr has a warning for drivers who shut down intersections and tear up village roads: stay out or pay up.
Carr is proposing a $10,000 fine for drivers caught taking over intersections and having their vehicles impounded. That’s five times the current $2,000 fee to reclaim a seized vehicle.
“You want to come here and (mess) around, you’re going to get (messed) around, whether you like it or not,” Carr said after the July 7 village board meeting.
“At the end of the day, I’m telling you to stay the (deleted) out of town,” Carr said.
Approval of the $10,000 fine is expected when the village board meets at 6 p.m. July 21.
The last straw for Carr came early July 6.
That’s when an estimated 100 vehicles closed the intersection of 55th Street and East Avenue.
“They blocked the intersection. Tore up the street. Shooting fireworks,” Deputy Police Chief Dave DeLeshe said.
Damage to pavement was “significant,” he said. The newly-improved intersection was left with dozens of tire marks from vehicles that did doughnuts as onlookers cheered.
McCook police responded to the event and that resulted in vehicles fleeing in all directions, DeLeshe said.
“They were doing 100 miles per hour minimum with no lights on,” he said.
McCook police got about 30 license plate numbers, Carr said.
“We did arrest one individual and seized one vehicle. Obviously, he has his day in court,” DeLeshe said. “We identified another vehicle (and we are) pursuing that one.”
In the intersection takeovers, “they form a circle. Couple cars go in the middle spinning. … It happens a lot. This is the first one we’ve dealt with this year,” DeLeshe said.
“It’s not gang members,” he said. “The average age is 18 to 25.”
He noted that people could easily get hurt or killed if a car fishtails and goes out of control into the crowd.
“It’s concerning,” DeLeshe said, adding “you would hope” that the $10,000 fee will keep this from happening in McCook again.
“Whatever we can do to deter or stop, that’s something we have to work on,” DeLeshe said.
Carr said he doesn’t think people are picking on McCook, but noted that the village does have easy access from First Avenue and Interstate 55.