PANAMA CITY — A Kentucky teen accused of a multistate crime spree of stolen cars and forged checks has left Bay County to face charges in his home state, according to jail officials.
Dalton Hayes left Bay County on Thursday with less commotion than when he arrived and was taken into custody Saturday. Kentucky authorities began extraditing the 18-year-old at about 6 a.m. to his home state of Kentucky to face several charges in connection with a series of vehicle thefts and pilfered checks through several Southern states.
According to Grayson County, Kentucky, Sheriff Norman Chaffins, Hayes will face at least burglary, trespassing and criminal mischief charges.
Hayes, who already was wanted on burglary and theft charges from December, and 13-year-old Cheyenne Phillips allegedly set out on their multistate crime spree Jan. 3. He said Phillips wanted to escape an abusive family member and instigated the trip. However, the couple was arrested Saturday night behind an International House of Pancakes in Panama City Beach.
“She didn’t want to go home because she was getting beat on,” Hayes said during a jailhouse interview with The News Herald on Monday. “Now she got me in a bind. I’m looking at years in prison for all I did for her.”
The Kentucky couple allegedly ditched cars and stole replacements in Kentucky, South Carolina and Georgia — evading arrest all the while — before arriving in Panama City Beach. Hayes said the two got lost looking for an interstate leading to Miami.
According to family members, the couple allegedly plowed through a Kentucky cattle farm in a stolen vehicle at the start of their journey. A tire blew out, and the couple slept in a frigid barn for the night, Hayes said. Police said the teens then stole a red 2006 Toyota Tacoma that had a firearm inside and fled the state. Hayes and his girlfriend were later spotted in South Carolina and then Georgia, where, on Jan. 14, the 2006 Tacoma was recovered and a silver 2001 Tacoma was reported stolen, police said.
The couple’s capture began about 11:30 p.m. Saturday when authorities descended on the stolen Tacoma, according to PCBPD records. Hayes and Phillips were sleeping inside the truck, which was parked behind IHOP at Pier Park, police reported. In addition to the Kentucky charges Hayes faces, the teens also could face forgery charges in South Carolina. Hayes waived his right to an extradition hearing.
Though Hayes has said he was unaware of Phillips’ young age up until their exodus — stating that she had forged identification — it is unclear whether he will face molestation charges.
Cheyenne Phillips’ father, Shawn Phillips, told the Associated Press that Hayes’ abuse allegations are “completely bogus.”