Crime & Safety

Mendota Heights Man Cited for Transporting Helmetless Toddlers on Motorcycle

If convicted of the charges against him, Michael Bruce Johnson faces up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine.

A 44-year-old Mendota Heights man was charged with gross misdemeanor child endangerment after police caught him transporting his three-year-old daughter and five-year-old son on a motorcycle without helmets. 

According to a Dakota County criminal complaint, Michael Bruce Johnson was seen by Mendota Heights police traveling northbound on Highway 13 South with his daughter seated in front of him and his son seated behind him.

The complaint states that the only protective gear on any of the them was a pair of goggles, worn by Johnson. It also says officers noticed the child on the rear of the motorcycle was unable to reach his feet to the foot rests, and there was not a footrest for the female child. 

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Child endangerment carries with it a maximum sentence of one year in jail and a $3,000 fine. Johnson is scheduled to make his first court appearance at 9 a.m. on Oct. 1. 


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