Touched By Crime, Round Rock Family Gets Early Christmas Gift

ROUND ROCK, TX — A Round Rock family got an early Christmas present — and a lesson in generosity and goodwill — after thieves stole the tires of their sole family vehicle.

The Gardea family was poised to go shopping for holiday gifts on Black Friday, only to see their Chevy Silverado on blocks, with the tires removed, at their apartment complex. In a telephone interview with Patch on Christmas Eve, family matriarch Marissa Gardea-Ward said the tires must've been stolen between 1 a.m. to 5 a.m., grounding the family's shopping excursion plans.

That's six disappointed kids, and two worried parents.

"It was a punch in the gut," the mom said. "We sent our daughter out to the truck — it was drizzling and foggy at the time— and she comes back saying 'the tires are gone!' What are you talking about? So I grab a jacket in my pajamas, and there it was just sitting on three blocks. It's a huge violation."

The family had already been on edge, having heard of other tire thefts in the neighborhood. And four years ago after moving to Round Rock from El Paso, the family had an inflatable gingerbread man holiday decoration stolen off their porch, she said.

Thinking of others, she wrote about the experience in a neighborhood page on Facebook to prevent others from being victimized. Scraping their money together, the couple purchased some used tires as a makeshift remedy, although they weren't the best options. She said one of the tires would gradually deflate after every use.

"We work hard for our money," the woman explained, mentioning she works for a pharmaceutical firm and her husband has a job at a gas utility. "We have to work overtime sometimes," she added, noting stepchildren were moved into the family home last summer. "We prayed and prayed and prayed."

Some two weeks later, the prayers were answered. What transpired next was nothing short of a pre-Christmas miracle.

Officials at local tire shop NTB Tire & Service Centers at 1650 Interstate 35 South got wind of their story, and stepped in to replace the stolen tires and rims. Michelin, a 50 percent owner of parent company TBC Corporation in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, donated the tires after one of their employees heard the Gardea family's story. NTB donated not just the tires and wheels but the labor costs to install them as well.

The Gardea family truck was outfitted with brand new tires and rims after thieves struck. Courtesy photo.

"It was the right thing to do," Nate Summerville, the NTB Tire & Service Centers store manager, told Patch over the telephone. "We're in business to make money like everybody else, but it's awesome to work for a company that gives something back."

In an earlier missive, Summerville reported the family's arrival to the store to see the newly outfitted tires: “Jeremy and his wife came in last week. They absolutely love the wheels we got them!” The mom was especially touched by the gesture, Summerville noted: “She was nearly in tears after we were done. She gave me a huge hug and said we saved their children’s Christmas! My entire shop and I are very grateful we were part of this special event.”

It's not the first time the family has experienced the goodwill so abundant in Round Rock. Remember that stolen gingerbread man? Gardea-Ward told Patch they got a knock on the door after that theft, and found a box on their porch with a brand-new replacement courtesy of the Round Rock Police Department.

"It really did restore our faith in humanity," Gardea-Ward said. "Because you get a little bitter, and you lose your faith a little bit. And then when someone does something out of the goodness of their heart you think oh my goodness. Not everybody's bad."

She described the smooth ride the family now experiences when traveling in their truck, which is now parked in front of their home in a well-lighted spot. "Even just walking out and seeing the tires, you think: This is awesome," she said. "It's good to know there are good people out there."

In Round Rock, all's well that ends well.

NTB Tire & Service Centers officials pose with the Gardeas in front of the family's newly restored vehicle. Courtesy photo.