Jack Baudoin and Michael Bartiromo
11 months ago
MARION, Ill. (WTVO) – An Illinois man has been charged with theft after allegedly stealing a backhoe and driving about 10 miles to catch a flight at an airport.
Williamson County deputies say they were alerted to the alleged theft on May 18, after a call about a “suspicious” backhoe found parked in the lot of the Southern Illinois Veterans Airport.
“Moments later, the owner of the backhoe arrived on scene and identified the equipment as belonging to his company,” the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook news release shared earlier of this week
The owner of the equipment then told deputies the backhoe had been parked nearly 10 miles away at a job site.
Deputies reviewed airport security footage, which showed the suspect arriving in the backhoe, parking and walking across the lot to the airport lobby while carrying a guitar case.
The suspect was later identified as Timothy Baggott of Carbondale. He has been charged with felony theft over $10,000, the sheriff’s office said.
In response to “numerous inquiries” about the case, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office provided an update Wednesday, confirming that Baggott had flown from the Illinois Veterans Affairs Airport to Portland, Ore., on May 18 . He was arrested days later, on May 21. , in Elko County, Nevada, in connection with possession of a stolen vehicle, but was later released.
The next day, Baggott was arrested again in Elko County, Nevada, “on charges related to possession of an additional stolen vehicle.”
The suspect was being held on $40,000 bond in Elko County Wednesday. Williamson County also has an arrest warrant for Baggott.
