Man steals backhoe for 10-mile drive to Illinois airport to catch flight

MARION, Ill. (AP) — Authorities say a southern Illinois man has been charged with theft for allegedly stealing a backhoe to drive about 10 miles to an airport to catch a flight. The Williamson County Sheriffs Office says security camera footage shows a Carbondale man arriving at Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois and leaving the backhoe in the airport parking lot Thursday. It says footage captured the man walking across the street carrying a guitar case and entering the airport lobby. The owner of the backhoe arrived at the airport a short time later and identified the equipment as belonging to his company.