A 29-year-old woman with a documented history of homelessness and more than 10 prior arrests is facing felony charges after Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say she forcibly took a man's Chrysler and then led officers on a chase that ended in a crash. Cheyenne Adriana Hines was taken into custody on August 21, on charges including common law robbery, larceny of a motor vehicle, and fleeing to elude arrest.
According to Charlotte Alerts News, Hines is accused of taking the victim's keys to the Chrysler through a forcible and violent taking before driving off in the vehicle. Police later spotted Hines behind the wheel of the stolen Chrysler on Eastway Drive, the outlet reports, and when officers attempted to stop her, she is accused of fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement while driving recklessly and negligently, ultimately causing an accident that resulted in property damage.
The outlet also reports that Hines has used crack cocaine for years and was pregnant at the time she was using crack cocaine and other drugs, according to the same account. She has been arrested more than 10 times, per the report.
A Pattern Stretching Back Years
Hines's brush with Charlotte-area law enforcement did not begin this summer. Back in December 2021, Matthews Police arrested her for simple assault and battery after she allegedly confronted and physically assaulted an elderly man in a QuikTrip parking lot on Monroe Road on Thanksgiving Day, according to WSOC-TV. Detectives at the time identified Hines after public tips reported she struck and pushed the victim to the ground when he refused to give her cash.
Nearly two years later, in September 2023, Gastonia Police reported Hines missing after family members said they had not heard from her since March of that year, following her release from the Gaston County Jail. The Gastonia Police Department later announced on Facebook that officers located her uninjured in Charlotte, with law enforcement notes indicating she was unhoused and frequently stayed in the Charlotte area without a phone.
What the Charges Carry Under North Carolina Law
Common law robbery, the most serious charge Hines faces, is classified as a Class G felony under North Carolina General Statute § 14-87.1, defined as taking personal property from another through force or fear without a dangerous weapon. Attorneys at Plumides, Romano & Johnson PC note the offense carries a statutory sentencing range of 8 to 31 months in prison for first-time offenders.
North Carolina does not maintain a separate charge for grand theft auto; instead, motor vehicle theft is prosecuted under general larceny statutes as a Class H felony whenever the vehicle's value exceeds $1,000, according to the Browning Long Law Office. Fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer is normally a Class 1 misdemeanor, but state law elevates it to a Class H felony when two or more aggravating factors are present — including reckless driving and negligent driving causing more than $1,000 in property damage, the kind of damage police allege occurred on Eastway Drive. A conviction on a Class H felony can carry an active prison sentence starting at 8 to 12 months for first-time offenders and climbing as high as 39 months for defendants with a lengthy record, per guidance from the Hiltzheimer Law Office.
Mecklenburg County booking records reviewed from her August 21 arrest also show Hines was charged with possession of controlled substances on jail or prison premises, in addition to the robbery and vehicle theft counts. Bringing controlled substances into a local confinement facility is treated as an independent felony under state law.
Case Lands Amid Falling Citywide Crime Numbers
The arrest comes even as Charlotte-Mecklenburg police report significant declines in the categories of crime Hines is accused of. CMPD's midyear public safety update found motor vehicle thefts dropped 31% during the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year, falling from 3,127 reported cases to 2,163. Robberies fell 23%, from 525 to 405 incidents, as part of an overall 17% drop in property crime between January 1 and June 30, according to the City of Charlotte. CMPD attributed the reductions to precision policing and targeted deployment strategies, though the same midyear report noted homicides ticked up 3% over the period.
Those numbers build on a broader multi-year downward trend. CMPD recorded 5,960 motor vehicle thefts and 1,050 robberies across Charlotte in all of 2025, a 20% drop in auto thefts and a 24% decrease in robberies compared to 2024, according to Axios Charlotte. Even so, survey data cited in that report found nearly two-thirds of local residents still felt the city was becoming less safe.
Hines's case now moves through Mecklenburg County's court system, where the charges of common law robbery, felony larceny of a motor vehicle, felony fleeing to elude, and possession of a controlled substance on jail premises remain pending allegations.
