'Bonnie and Clyde' Teens' Crime Spree Ends Peacefully in Florida

Two teenagers from Kentucky saw their multistate crime spree come to an end in Panama City Beach early Sunday morning.

According to the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, the teens were found sound asleep in a 2001 Toyota Tundra pickup just after midnight. They are accused of stealing that truck in Henry County, Ga., while on their way to Florida. When officers spotted the vehicle, they surrounded it and brought Cheyenne Phillips, 13, and Dalton Hayes, 18, into custody without incident.

The pair had been on the run for about two weeks after they allegedly stole checks and a vehicle in their home state before making their way south, leaving a trail of thefts in their wake.

Grayson County, Ky., Sheriff Norman Chaffins took to his agency’s Facebook page to announce the capture Sunday while also clearing the air about the young couple’s comparison in the media to infamous killers Bonnie and Clyde.

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“It should be noted that throughout the multi-state hunt for them, no civilian was injured, neither one of them were injured and no police officer was injured,” Chaffins wrote.

In an earlier post on the pair, he made it clear that the comparison didn’t come from him.

“At no time during my interviews with any media outlet have I ever referred to them as ‘modern day Bonnie and Clyde,’” he wrote. “That is a label placed solely by the media. I have spoken to the contrary about that by stating they have committed no violent crimes or physically harmed anyone.”

Even so, Chaffins did point out that any time property is stolen it creates a dangerous situation for all involved.

“When you go on another person’s property and you steal their vehicle, that is dangerous to anyone,” he wrote. “When you flee from police in a stolen vehicle with guns in it you are a danger to everyone.”

Hayes and Phillips were taken into custody in Bay County. Both face numerous felony charges and are expected to be extradited back to Kentucky soon.

“Special thanks to the U.S. Marshal’s Service for their diligence and unwavering teamwork in bringing this potential volatile situation to a peaceful end,” Chaffins concluded.

Photo of Cheyenne Phillips and Dalton Hayes from the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page