Walmart gives car to crackhead

What's the difference between Oprah and Wal-Mart?

When Oprah gives away cars, they're not somebody else's.

Martha Velazquez, a 30-year-old marketing specialist at a Houston health club, says she took her 1999 Pontiac Grand Am to the Wal-Mart in the 7000 block of FM 1960 to replace a flat tire she had bought there four months earlier.

"My mechanic told me it was punctured on the side and he couldn't fix it," she said.

She said the attendant at Wal-Mart told her the wait would be more than three hours, so she went shopping.

When she returned she was surprised to learn there would be no charge.

"I thought they'd adjust for the tread that had been worn," she said.

"I didn't argue. I put my groceries in the car and was approached by the mechanic who had done the job.

"He said he wanted to tell me what he did to the tire in case I had any problems," she said. "He said he put sealant in it. I told him I didn't wait four hours for sealant."

The mystery 'husband'

She spoke to the manager, who said he would replace the tire at no charge and moved her to the front of the line.

She said when it was finished the mechanic called her by name and said he could cash her out. She explained the manager said it would be free and asked her where the car was.

"He told me he gave the keys to my husband and he drove off," she said.

"He ran off. Another mechanic came over and asked how he could be so stupid that he would give it to that crackhead who had been bothering them all day,"