Teen Sweethearts Considered Armed And Dangerous In South: Police Fear Bad Outcome

Police in Leitchfield, Kentucky, believe it will be a bad outcome for two teen sweethearts who are on a crime spree across the South. The Associated Press reports that 18-year-old Dalton Hayes and 13-year-old Cheyenne Phillips disappeared from their hometown on January 3, and the local sheriff says the two have since traveled to South Carolina, Georgia, and most recently, Florida, wreaking havoc at every destination.

Dalton Hayes, who has been dating Cheyenne for three months, believed she was 19-years-old. Dalton’s mother, Tammy Martin, said Cheyenne portrayed herself to be 19, and their entire family believed her.

It wasn’t until Cheyenne’s dad reported her missing to the police after she didn’t come home all night on January 3, that Tammy discovered Cheyenne’s true age. A previous report by the Inquisitr revealed that Cheyenne, a seventh-grader at Grayson County Middle School, had actually spent the night of January 3 at Dalton Haye’s home.

By the time Martin received this news of Cheyenne’s true age, she immediately texted her son, but it was too late. The two teens had already fled the home, and began their laundry list of crimes starting with auto theft.

Cheyenne’s mother, Sherry Peters, made a statement that there is concern regarding a pregnancy, but it has been left at that with no confirmations.

However, the fact remains that authorities believe Dalton is running from trouble he was facing in his hometown. According to the Associated Press, Dalton was scheduled to appear before a grand jury on January 5 to determine whether they had indicted him on charges of burglary and theft. Hayes had been arrested late last year, as revealed by the Grayson County court records.

With their path of destruction including multiple auto thefts, property damage, cashing stolen checks, and running from the police, Sheriff Norman Chaffins of Grayson County in Kentucky fears it will not be a happy ending for the teen duo if they don’t soon surrender, according to Fox News.

“There’s going to come a time when we’re not going to see him as an 18-year-old kid. We’re going to see him as someone who’s stolen three vehicles with two handguns in them, and the outcome is not going to be good for either one of them if they don’t turn themselves in.”

After being spotted at a Walmart in Manning, South Carolina, around 4 a.m. on Monday, where they forged and cashed stolen checks, Chief Shaffer with the Manning police say they have quickly moved further south.

As recent as Friday, the teens were still in a truck they stole from a man’s driveway at his home in Henry County, about 30 miles south of Atlanta. Henry County police Lt. Joey Smith revealed that the owner kept two handguns inside the truck, as per Fox News. The two are now armed. Sheriff Caffins believes as they become more desperate for money, they will also become more dangerous.

Authorities say they received tips that the teens were spotted Friday in Florida, but nothing has been confirmed at this time regarding their location.

Manning’s Chief Shaffer told Yahoo! News that in addition to the other charges against them, authorities could enforce “minor” forgery charges against them, but is quick to say that home is simply the best place for the teens to be at this time. The teens could face several felony crimes in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia.

Yahoo! News reports Chief Shaffer of Manning stating on Friday, “We would need to get with the prosecutor to see if the teens get back to Kentucky. We could pursue criminal charges against them, we just have to continue to wait. And once they’re found then we can look at the circumstances and decide if that would be something we’d want to pursue.”

Until the two teen sweethearts are captured by police, their parents are overwhelmed with worry. Dalton’s mother, Tammy, has urged the teens to surrender and face the consequences, as reported by the Associated Press.

“I pretty much cry myself to sleep every night worrying about where they are and if a police officer or any random individual tries to pull them over and isn’t so nice and hurts them.”

One of the last text messages Tammy received from her son simply said, “We’re going to run.”

While some have compared the two in the media as a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, that is a horrific thought as we remember the outcome for those particular criminals and lovers.

Sheriff Chaffin admits that the teen’s behavior is quickly “becoming increasingly brazen and dangerous,” and continues to grow more serious as the teens now have handguns, as revealed by the Associated Press.

“This is not a game to us. Our biggest fear is that Dalton is not going to stop for the police. He’s going to run every time they approach him,” said Chaffin.

[Photo Credit: Ryot.org, MSN.com, AOL.com, Yahoo! News]