In every issue of this fine rag my hack team of wannabe journalists and I tackle some of the most laughable criminal acts that have recently happened in our area. Then - if we're doing our job - we write about those crimes in a way that makes you chuckle, or at the very least gives you something better to do than check in on Foursquare.

It's not the most important job, but someone has to do it. At the Weekly Volcano Crime Desk, along with taking out the trash on Wednesday night, it's our life's work.

This week's column takes us to Olympia, where sometimes you have to be careful when you're stealing a pickup truck.

Enjoy. - Matt Driscoll

Roughly 67-percent of people from Olympia have spent at least one night sleeping in a parked car or pickup truck. It's a rite of passage of sorts. It also comes in handy when following Phish.

Which is why, for those who know Olympia and its people, it probably wasn't terribly surprising to hear that when a pickup truck was stolen Thursday, Feb. 9 from the parking lot of the Capital Medical Center in Olympia, the thief unknowingly made the heist while there was a dude sleeping in back. And a cat.

According to a story by Jeremy Pawloski in The Olympian, police recovered the stolen pickup Friday, Feb. 10 in Shelton. But that's not even close to the remarkable part. Police tell The Olympian that the victim, awoken by the act of his truck being stolen, was able to call 911 while the crime was in progress and give authorities updates on the whereabouts of his swiped vehicle. He was also able to identify a vehicle following closely behind his stolen truck, which he correctly assessed was also involved in the crime. According to Pawloski's story, the vehicle following the stolen truck was able to prevent an police car from catching up to the stolen vehicle by slamming on its brakes during the getaway, causing the officer to lose sight of the stolen truck. Police in Olympia were able to apprehend the driver of the second vehicle Friday, who admitted he was helping his friend steal the truck. The friend was also able to lead authorities to the stolen truck, which was found at the Blakely Tree Farm in Shelton according to The Olympian's story.

Pawloski's article, which cites court papers and direct interviews with Olympia Police detective Chris Johnstone, says that at one point during the crime the driver of the stolen pickup realized the truck's owner was in the back. He allegedly pulled over somewhere in Mason County and threatened the man with a knife before ultimately leaving him by the side of the road and driving off.

While the man following behind the stolen truck was found and arrested, police tell The Olympian that the man suspected of driving the truck has yet to be apprehended.

Olympia police Lt. Jim Costa tells the paper that most of the victim's possessions were found near where the pickup was found.

Except for his cat, which was also in the truck at the time of the theft and has yet to be found. - Letty Ortiz, Stolen Car Related Crime Correspondent