The 18-year-old suspected of going on a nearly two-week crime spree with his 13-year-old girlfriend will return to his home state of Kentucky to face multiple charges. Dalton Hayes and his girlfriend, Cheyenne Phillips, were arrested early Sunday in Panama City Beach after they were found sleeping in a stolen car. Hayes waived his right to an extradition hearing during a court appearance early Monday in Bay County, Florida, according to Bay County Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Sammons. Hayes will face burglary, criminal trespassing and custodial interference charges when he returns to Kentucky, according to Grayson County, Kentucky, Sheriff Normam Chaffins. Phillips will face the same charges, "but she'll be treated differently than Dalton because he is an adult," Chaffins said Sunday. The pair are suspected of stealing three cars during a crime spree across multiple states.
Chaffins told NBC News that he would drive to Florida to retrieve Hayes, and Phillips would be driven back in a separate car. The two were first reported missing on Jan. 3. Hayes’ mother, Tammy Martin, said she doesn’t know what inspired the teens to take off, but she was relieved that they were found safe. “The first thing I’m going to do when I see him is hug him and tell him I love him, and then I might smack him,” Martin said.
IN-DEPTH
- Nabbed Kentucky Teen Dalton Hayes Tells Cops He's 'Very Scared'
- 'Exhausted' Families of Fugitive Kentucky Teens Anxious for Their Return
- Fugitive Kentucky Teens Dalton Hayes, Cheyenne Phillips Arrested in Florida
SOCIAL
— Debra Preitkis-Jones and Elisha Fieldstadt