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North Chicago Woman Gets Car Towed, Pays Big Fine For Loud Music

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. (CBS) -- A Lake County woman cannot believe she lost her car and had to pay to get it out of the pound, all because of loud music.

As CBS 2's Kris Habermehl reports, Sonya Flowers, 26, of North Chicago, was leaving her $8.25-per-hour part time job in Grayslake earlier this month when she was pulled over by police in North Chicago for blasting her music too loud, according to the Lake County News-Sun.

Her 2000 Grand Prix was towed and impounded, and she got a ticket for $500, the newspaper reported.

If you're out on the expressway and you want to go ahead and blast your car stereo, there's no law against it. But once you're off the expressway, beware of the decibel meter, and beware of the discretion of police officers, Habermehl said.

Flowers claims her windows were up at the time, and said she had to borrow money to pay what ended up being $200 in fines and court costs, and $195 for the cost of impoundment, the News-Sun reported.

Habermehl says if you're out driving around in North Chicago and feel compelled to blast your music loudly, the penalty for such an infraction is $150 for the first offense, $250 for the second offense, and $750 for the third offense if the ticket occurs within a one-year period.

In neighboring Waukegan, the fine is $70 to $300 if your music is audible within 50 feet, the News-Sun reported.

Similar laws carrying hefty fines are also on the books in Chicago and several other suburbs.

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