If your only mode of transport was a PT Cruiser, what would you do? Most of us would probably just walk, but one Canadian man thought turning it into a jukebox on wheels was the correct answer. Now he’s paying the price for it.
Dustin Hamilton, a man from Saanich, British Columbia, is a PT Cruiser enthusiast. Well, someone has to be. He’s also a self-proclaimed audiophile. Rather than modding his rolling coffin to include flame decals, tacky chrome accents, or a goofy 1950’s retrofit, he opted for a massive stereo system.
According to an interview with CTV News in Vancouver, Hamilton’s sound system is capable of reaching 155 decibels. That’s louder than standing next to a Boeing 747 at take off and capable of rupturing an eardrum.
Unlike most PT Cruiser owners though, Hamilton isn’t content with taking his ride to a classic car show and trying to blend in. While he does enter sound competitions, his main method of showcasing his pride and job is to drive around with the volume dial to 11.
This has, understandably, made locals rather cross with Hamilton and his PT Cruiser. It’s bad enough to look at them, never mind hear it coming from seven miles away.
According to the Saanich Police Department, Hamilton’s car is capable of shaking pictures off the wall. The noise has also disturbed sleeping babies and livestock. Anyone with a baby knows that if you wake a sleeping child that’s grounds for severe and just punishment.
This is why the police took action against Hamilton after 17 complaints.
Hamilton is now facing a criminal mischief charge for disturbing the peace. To add on to that, he also has an assault charge for getting into an altercation over the noise with a neighbor. However, if we were the justice system in Canada, we’d probably add on a charge of crimes against taste for driving that “retro” mess of a car.
Currently, Hamilton is out on bail. The main condition of his release is that he’s banned from driving the PT Cruiser — other than to his lawyer’s office, the hospital, and his girlfriend’s work — and may not play his stereo at all in his car.
Hamilton’s girlfriend, Katrina Jeorgenay, is also surprised by the charges. Which, we wager, is a little understandable since she bought the entire sound system for Hamilton — we’d guess so that she couldn’t hear him talking about how unique his car is all the time.
If convicted Hamilton faces hefty fines and potential jail time. We’d like to think driving around a PT Cruiser is punishment enough, but our neighbors to the north disagree.
So just remember. If you happen to be unfortunate enough to need to drive a PT Cruiser daily, please don’t install a massive sound system.
