ST. CHARLES – A St. Charles man, who was charged with driving under the influence, was not driving a car but an orange backhoe on city property in the dark, police records released under the Freedom of Information Act stated.

An officer on duty at 9:20 p.m. Feb. 18 saw a backhoe moving back and forth on the side of a hill at the northwest corner of South Kirk Road and Division Street, the report stated.

“I thought to myself, this was suspicious,” the report stated. “It was too late for utility work, being that it was close to [9:30 p.m.] It was Saturday night, and there were no safety cones, barrels or any other safety devices nearby.”

When the officer pulled up and put on his lights, a man standing near the backhoe, holding his phone – possibly filming the backhoe – scampered up the hill and disappeared through an opening in the fence, the report stated. The officer ordered the driver, later identified as Jeffrey J. Haugen, 25, of the 1800 block of Chandler Avenue, to dismount from the backhoe, whereby the officer smelled a strong odor of alcohol on him, the report stated.

The officer saw that the backhoe’s bucket had dug up several clumps of dirt and mud, and he asked Haugen what he was doing, the report stated. Haugen replied that he was tearing down the fence to his backyard, the report stated.

Haugen refused to take a breathalyzer test and was later charged with driving under the influence. He posted $300 bond or 10 percent of $3,000 bail and is to appear in court March 15.

Police contacted the backhoe’s owner, who is Haugen’s employer, who said Haugen was supposed to have the backhoe but was not supposed to be using it except for work purposes, the report stated.