A Williamson County, Illinois man stole a backhoe from a construction site and drove it 10 miles to a regional airport where he caught a flight, authorities said.
The man can be seen in the surveillance video below released by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office pulling the backhoe into the Southern Illinois Veterans Airport, lowering the blade and casually walking toward the entrance with a guitar case:
According to the Sheriff’s Office, it learned of the crime on May 18 when it received a call about the suspicious backhoe parked at the airport. Shortly after, the owner of the backhoe arrived and said it had been parked at a job site 20 miles away.
The suspect, Timothy James Baggott, 53, of Carbondale, Illinois, apparently flew to Portland, Oregon. Three days later, he was arrested in Elko County, Nevada, on charges related to possession of a stolen vehicle, and released.
The next day, he was arrested again in the same county in the city of Wells on another charge of possession of a stolen vehicle. This time, he was booked into the Elko County Jail with bail set at $40,000.
Back in Illinois, Williamson County State’s Attorney Ted Hampson has issued a warrant for Baggott’s arrest for felony theft over $10,000. His bond was set at $25,000.
According to an online search of Elko County inmates as of May 26, Baggott was still in jail.
