A man from Carbondale, Illinois, is facing theft charges after allegedly stealing a backhoe to travel approximately 10 miles to an airport in order to catch a flight, authorities say.
Surveillance footage obtained by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office captured the Carbondale man arriving at Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois on top of a backhoe and abandoning it in the airport parking lot on May 22.
The sheriff’s office stated that the footage also showed the man carrying a guitar case as he walked across the street from the parking lot to the airport lobby.
Upon discovering the stolen backhoe, the owner of the equipment — who stated that it was typically used for moving large debris and had been parked at a job site — arrived at the airport and confirmed that it belonged to his company.
Following the incident, the man, later identified as Timothy Baggott, managed to board a flight to Portland, Oregon. However, he was eventually apprehended in Elko, Nevada, which is over 100 miles west of the Utah border, according to a press release issued by the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.
Baggott was taken into custody on charges of possessing stolen property. He was released soon after but was subsequently arrested again in Wells, Nevada, located 50 miles east of Elko, on charges related to another stolen vehicle.
Currently, Baggott is being held at the Elko County Jail with a bond set at $40,000. The Williamson County State’s Attorney has charged him with theft in excess of $10,000, and according to the Illinois warrant for his arrest, his bond would be set at $25,000.