An Alabama woman is accused of employing Mace to stage a robbery at a Chick-fil-A drive-thru, then apparently using the stolen cash to gamble at an area casino, authorities said.
According to Elmore County online booking records, Kaudija Shondrelle Haynes, 32, of Leeds, was arrested on Jan. 4. She was charged with attempting to elude, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to the Leeds Police Department, authorities tracked Haynes to the Wind Creek Casino in nearby Wetumpka, and she was taken into custody after a chase resulted in a crash in a group of trees.
Leeds police Chief Paul Irwin said that Haynes was “presumably gambling with Chick-fil-A’s currency.”
On Jan. 2, police in Leeds were called to a Chick-fil-A restaurant in the city shortly after 9 a.m. ET.
Irwin said officers arrived on the scene and learned the suspect pulled up to the drive-thru window, presented a Mace canister and instructed the employee to give her the money bag.
The employee complied. It was unclear how much money was in the bag.
Irwin said police used video to track Haynes to the casino.
“When we got there, we were able to get her vehicle information, look at the video, use some technology to identify her almost immediately,” he told reporters.
Wetumpka Police and the Tribal Police Department of the Poarch Creek Indians also assisted in the investigation.
When police tried to take Haynes into custody, she led authorities on a brief chase.
She was taken into custody after crashing into multiple trees during the pursuit.
“By the time they located her, she was exiting the casino. She resisted arrest,” Irwin said. “She jumped in her vehicle and fled. A short time later, she drove off the roadway and into some trees.”
Haynes remains in the Elmore County jail, online records show. Her bond was set at $116,000.
Once she is released from the Elmore County Jail, she will be transferred to the St. Clair County Jail on charges of first-degree robbery, reckless endangerment and fourth-degree theft of property, Irwin said.
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