Alleged U-Haul thief caught after weeks of evasion

Published 2:01 pm Sunday, March 8, 2026

LONG BEACH — A man was apprehended after he reportedly failed to return a U-Haul truck after he rented it for a day. The incident began Feb. 25, when the missing vehicle was reported to law enforcement.

The suspect was identified as Lukas A. Wolfe, 23.

According to court documents, the Long Beach Police Department was dispatched to the report of a vehicle theft at the U-Haul at 109 Pioneer Ave. in Long Beach. The company informed LBPD Officer Miranda West that Wolfe had rented a 10-foot truck.

Wolfe had reportedly rented the truck on Feb. 18 at 4:41 p.m. and was supposed to have it returned by Feb. 19 at 4:15 p.m.

“[The business] filled out the Motor Vehicle Theft Report and I sent it to the Pacific County Dispatch Center to be entered as stolen,” West said in court documents. “I also requested that a [Be On the Lookout] be sent out to neighboring counties as well as our county for Wolfe for RCW 9A.56.065 Theft of a Motor Vehicle.”

The missing truck was officially entered as stolen on Feb. 25 at 3 p.m.

Wolfe was apprehended on March 2 and booked into the Pacific County Jail for theft of a motor vehicle. He appeared in Pacific County Superior Court on March 3, and Judge Pro Tem Heidi Heywood ordered he be held in lieu of $1,000.

Wolfe’s whereabouts between Feb. 18 and his capture on March 2 are unknown.