Police Arrest Man Accused of Driving a Stolen Excavator Drunk

The Oswego Police Department has arrested a 31-year-old man after he was allegedly found driving a stolen excavator drunk, according to a release from the department.

Police were dispatched just past midnight Aug. 21 for a report of a backhoe traveling on Treasure Drive and damaging power lines.

Officers stopped David Salinas, 31, of the 200 block of N. Calhoun in Aurora, and found he allegedly took an excavator from a parking lot off of Treasure Drive and drove westbound, damaging phone and cable lines, as well as easement areas.

Salinas said he was “tired of walking and needed some wheels,” according to a post on the police department’s Facebook page.

Salinas was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident and driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .24. The Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office approved further charges of theft, a class 1 felony, and theft of a motor vehicle, a class 2 felony. Salinas was taken to the Kendall County Jail and is awaiting a bond hearing.

Residents and businesses in the area lost phone and cable service. AT&T and Comcast have been on the scene to repair the damaged power lines.