14 vehicles towed during blizzard cleanup efforts

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Mitchell Assistant Police Chief Leon Baier said 14 vehicles had been towed by Monday morning following the weekend’s blizzard.

Police officers had written 69 parking tickets, according to Baier. The tickets carry a $25 fine if paid within 48 hours, but it increases after that.

More vehicles may have been towed by Tuesday morning, and more tickets written, he said, since city workers kept plowing areas on Monday in the wake of the snowfall.

“They’re still out there writing,” Baier said.

But he said “overall it went pretty good” as most people moved their vehicles before the storm hit. It was difficult to put a number on it, since it’s been some time since a storm of this size hit Mitchell.

“I know we’ve written a lot more tickets in past storms,” Baier said.

No serious accidents were reported, Public Safety Chief Lyndon Overweg said. The storm was predicted long in advance, and it appears most people stayed home and off the roads, which reduced trouble.

The city issues a snow emergency after 2 inches or more of snow falls. That alerts people for the need to move their vehicles off emergency snow routes.

Ron Olson, Mitchell’s street/sanitation/landfill superintendent, advised people Friday to move their vehicles off the streets before they went to bed Saturday night.

It was good advice, as the snow started to fall early Sunday, and the snow emergency was declared. All vehicles had to be off the emergency route streets by 8 a.m. Sunday or risk a ticket and tow.

The city also ticketed and towed vehicles parked along other routes in the city as they were plowed over the course of Sunday and Monday. Monday night, city crews planned to haul snow out of the downtown area.

Tags: weather, news, updates, snow, storm, local, mitchell, police, streets, towing