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Violinist Challenges OC Boardwalk Noise Ordinance

BALTIMORE (AP) -- A violinist who had performed on Ocean City's boardwalk for years has taken his noise ordinance challenge to federal court.

William Hassey Jr. is seeking a judicial order blocking enforcement of the ordinance that prohibits playing music that can be heard 30 feet away, saying it violates his First Amendment rights.

The Daily Record of Baltimore reports that Hassay testified Monday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore that he learned of the ordinance last June when a police officer told him to turn down the volume or face up to three months in prison and a $500 fine.

Ocean City Mayor Richard Meehan testified that the restriction is a constitutional limit on the growth of amplified sound on the Boardwalk.

The judge will hear closing arguments next week.
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(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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