Prosecutors charged a man Wednesday with stealing a backhoe from Three Crowns Golf Course after police found the missing machine on Casper Mountain Road.

Staff members at the golf course told police the man, Robert Sterling Brownell, had been contracted to do cement work at the course and wanted to be paid in advance. He was not. Brownell, according to a sworn statement by an officer who investigated the case, said he'd been given the backhoe as compensation for his work.

Michael Smith, the golf course's maintenance superintendent, told police he'd never given Brownell permission to take the backhoe away from the golf course and that Brownell hadn't been given the backhoe as payment for the concrete work, according to the affidavit.

Staff members reported the theft about 9 a.m. Tuesday after seeing a yellow backhoe driving away from the golf course. The affidavit describes what happened next:

According to the staff, Brown, 49 had asked that morning how much gas was in the backhoe's tank. A little time later, the machine was spotted driving away behind Brownell's truck.

Police found the backhoe at the third switchback on Casper Mountain Road. They spoke with Brownell's nephew, who reportedly told police his uncle said the he received the backhoe as partial payment for work he'd done. The nephew also said he had no idea the backhoe might have been unlawfully taken.

Brownell appeared in Natrona County Circuit Court on Wednesday, where a judge set his bond at $500. He is accused of auto theft and could face up to a year in jail if convicted.

Reach crime reporter Joshua Wolfson at (307) 266-0582 or at josh.wolfson@trib.com.