TIRE STORE USED COINS WITH SQUASHED GEORGE WASHINGTON HEAD FOR TIRE TREAD TEST, SAY POLICE

It's a simple test to determine if you need new tires: simply insert a quarter upside down into the groove.  The tread should cover at least part of George Washington's head; if not, you need new tires. But police say a local tire store used a counterfeit quarter in a ploy to increase sales. 

According to investigators, dozens of customers of Packy Sipes' World of Tires paid hundreds of dollars to replace tires that did not need replacement.  "With that squashed head, there's no way any tire could pass the quarter test," said detective Guster Horch.

Normal quarter (L) along with counterfeit coin

"It's just wrong," said Horch, holding up the fake coin.  "Look what they did to President Washington's head. He looks like a Neanderthal. We're talking about our first President; it's very disrespectful."  

The owner of the tire store, Packy Sipes, is no stranger to authorities.  Two years ago, he was convicted of misdemeanor moral turpitude after police found photographs of customers' lugnuts on his laptop computer.