The 18-year-old Kentucky teenager dubbed the "teenage Bonnie and Clyde" after a crime spree of stolen vehicles and pilfered checks has agreed in court to return home to face charges. A grand jury will decide whether to charge Dalton Hayes and his 13-year-old girlfriend in Leitchfield, and the girl, Cheyenne Phillips, will be charged as a juvenile because she is underage.
Hayes has been charged with burglary, theft by unlawful taking over $10,000, criminal mischief, and criminal trespassing, and he is being held on $250,000 full cash bail. He's expected to be back in Kentucky by the end of this week, and Phillips will be transferred to the custody of Florida's Department of Children and Families.
When he first spoke to The News Herald from jail in Panama City Beach, Hayes said he ran with Phillips because she was being abused by her family. He also claimed he didn't know she was 13 when they started dating. But a DNA expert took the stand Monday in Grayson County and told the court he believes Hayes knew her age at the time of their sexual relationship.
Hayes and Phillips will have a court hearing Tuesday or Wednesday in Florida, but the sheriff of Grayson County tells WAVE that by the end of this week he expects them to be back in Kentucky after they sign extradition papers. He says that he's confident they will be charged and he hopes their case can help prevent other young teens from running away with their underage girlfriends.
