Cops: Missing girl, 13, may be with boyfriend on crime spree

LEITCHFIELD, Ky. - Police believe a missing 13-year-old Kentucky girl may be with her 18-year-old boyfriend, who is accused of perpetrating a multi-state crime spree.

Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins said the pair, Cheyenne Phillips and Dalton Hayes, disappeared Jan. 3 from their small hometown in western Kentucky. They had reportedly been dating for months.

According to CBS affiliate WKYT, Cheyenne's mother lost custody of the girl 10 years ago, but now hopes she'll come home. The station also reports that Hayes has outstanding burglary and theft charges against him.

Authorities believe the couple has traveled to South Carolina and Georgia. Along the way, they're suspected of stealing multiple vehicles and using stolen checks, law enforcement officials said.

Hayes' mother, Tammy Martin, said the girl had portrayed herself as being 19 years old.

Sheriff Chaffins said the couple's behavior is "becoming increasingly brazen and dangerous," and he said they had evaded law enforcement twice. The sheriff said he believes Hayes is calling the shots as the teens try to stay ahead of the law.

"He's a hard-headed kid," the sheriff said. "He does have issues with authority. Very rarely does he take responsibility for what he's done, and he has a history of making bad choices."

The two were spotted Monday at a Wal-Mart in South Carolina. Authorities believe they then headed to Georgia and stole a pickup truck from the driveway of a man's home in Henry County, about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta. The homeowner awoke Wednesday morning to find his Toyota Tundra was gone, along with two handguns he kept stashed inside the vehicle, Henry County police Lt. Joey Smith said Friday.

Hours later, another truck the couple is suspected of having stolen in another state was found nearby. It had crashed through a fence and was left behind a vacant building on neighboring property, Smith said.

"We would assume that our stolen vehicle may be occupied by this same couple," Smith said. "We don't have any direct knowledge that it is them."

The owner of the truck stolen in Georgia told police he kept a Glock semi-automatic handgun and a .38-caliber revolver inside the vehicle.

Smith said police were checking surveillance video from nearby convenience stores to see if they could find any further evidence connecting the Kentucky couple to the truck theft.

Sheriff Chaffins said anyone who spots the couple should call 911. The situation is getting more serious as more time passes, he said.

"This is not a game to us," Chaffins said. "Our biggest fear is that Dalton is not going to stop for the police, he's going to run every time they approach him and they get in a pursuit. When a pursuit starts and somebody is not going to stop, the outcome is usually not a good one."