Runaway Kentucky Teens Found Sleeping in Allegedly Stolen Vehicle
Follow the trail of a pair of runaway teenagers.
— -- The alleged crime spree of two runaway Kentucky teenagers stretched across the South before they were found early Sunday morning.
Here is a timeline of the whereabouts of the couple, 13-year-old Cheyenne Phillips and 18-year-old Dalton Hayes:
Sunday, Jan. 4: Cheyenne and Hayes allegedly destroyed thousands of dollars in property by plowing through a Kentucky cattle farm in an allegedly stolen vehicle. Police said the teens then stole a red 2006 Toyota Tacoma that had a firearm inside.
Monday, Jan. 5 to Sunday, Jan. 11: Whereabouts unknown.
Monday, Jan. 12: The teens allegedly cashed a stolen check at a Walmart in Manning, South Carolina, a town with a population of a little over 4,000, according to Manning Police Chief Blair Shaffer.
Store employees didn't have any "suspicious" interactions with the teens, Shaffer told ABC News Friday.
The teens "went to one cashier and wrote a check," Shaffer said.
This was their last known transaction, according to the Grayson County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky.
Wednesday, Jan. 14: A Henry County, Georgia, resident called 911 after spotting a red Tacoma on the property of an abandoned residence.
"We realized the Red Tacoma was stolen out of Kentucky," Lt. Joseph Smith of the Henry County Police Department told ABC News Friday. But the teens apparently had already moved on. Smith said detectives there recovered a rifle in the Tacoma that had been reported stolen along with the vehicle.
A Silver 2001 Toyota Tundra was also reported stolen in "walking distance" from the abandoned red Tacoma, according to Henry County Police. Smith says there were no witnesses so police "can't confirm" whether the teens dropped off the Tacoma and stole the Tundra. The Tundra had two loaded handguns inside when it was stolen, the Grayson County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky said.
Thursday, Jan. 15: Kentucky authorities released surveillance photos of the teens' Monday trip to the Manning, South Carolina, Walmart.
The Manning Police Department was notified at about 4 a.m. Thursday that runaway teens from Kentucky had been spotted in its town, Shaffer said.
"When they were in Manning on Monday, we didn't know anything about them being runaways from Kentucky. So it was business as usual here in Manning on Monday," Shaffer said. "We had no knowledge of them in town. We didn't have any calls about them, no suspicious activity. We didn't have any thefts of any vehicles. We found out three days later, so we had no reason to believe they were still here in town."
Shaffer says on Thursday "there really wasn't much we were able to do other than ride around to check if they were still here."
"We did print out some pictures. We were able to cover the city a good bit and search around," he said.
Friday, Jan. 16: Authorities have received tips Friday that Hayes and Cheyenne might have been in Florida, according to the Grayson County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky.
Henry County Police in Georgia told ABC News Friday they had "no clue" whether the runaways were still in Georgia, but they would continue to check local convenience stores for possible surveillance footage.
Smith of the Henry County Police Department said Friday there was "no evidence to show if they're here," but "no evidence to show they're still mobile."
Saturday, Jan. 17: There were reported sightings of the teens in Alabama, Florida and Texas.
The teens may still be on the road, but could be facing charges in South Carolina when they are eventually found. Chief Shaffer said Manning police have "minor" forgery charges against the teens for allegedly passing a forged check, but "back home is the best place for these teens to be."
"We would need to get with the prosecutor to see if the teens get back to Kentucky," Shaffer said Friday. "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."
Hayes could also face "several felony crimes" in Kentucky, North Carolina and Georgia, the Grayson County Sheriff's Office said. The two are pandering for money and food, the sheriff's office says.
Smith said Friday, "We're hoping that someone will spot the vehicle and call 911."
Sunday, Jan. 18:: They were found asleep early this morning in Florida in the 2001 Toyota Tundra they allegedly stole in Georgia, authorities said.
“The vehicle was surrounded by law enforcement and both Hayes and Phillips were taken into custody without further incident,” the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky said in a statement.