3 Georgia inmates who escaped DeKalb County Jail captured in Florida, officials say
The manhunt for three Georgia inmates who escaped from the DeKalb County Jail is over, and the community is safe again, Sheriff Melody Maddox announced Tuesday after all three men were captured in Florida.
Standing alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement leaders, Maddox said the inmates were taken into custody without incident following a coordinated, multi-agency search that stretched from metro Atlanta to Broward County in South Florida.
"The streets of DeKalb County are once again safe," Maddox said. "That is because of the swift action of law enforcement. This will not be tolerated, and we will continue to fight to make sure our families, friends, and loved ones are protected."
Who are the DeKalb County Jail inmates who escaped?
The three inmates, Stevenson Charles, Yusuf Minor, and Naod Yohannes, escaped from the DeKalb County Jail late Sunday night. The escape was discovered during a routine check when a deputy found that a portion of a jail cell had been compromised, according to Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins.
Charles, 24, was being held on murder and armed robbery charges and is serving a federal life sentence. Minor, 31, faces two counts of armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Yohannes, 25, is charged with simple assault, arson, and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution.
Atkins said the jail, which is more than 30 years old, has aging infrastructure that inmates were able to exploit. He declined to provide specific details about how the escape occurred, citing security concerns, but said repairs have already been made and additional safeguards are being evaluated.
The U.S. Marshals Service took the lead in tracking down Charles, while a regional task force focused on the other two inmates. Marshals said intelligence gathered from recorded jail phone calls helped investigators identify people who assisted the escape.
Georgia inmates took a Lyft to Miami
Authorities said the inmates were picked up outside the jail, taken to Minor's girlfriend's home, and later taken by a rideshare driver to Florida. Using investigative tools, marshals tracked their movements and arrested all three in the Miami metropolitan area.
"This case worked because of strong partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement," said U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown of the Northern District of Georgia.
The rideshare driver involved is being interviewed by the FBI as part of the ongoing investigation and the three men are now facing charges in connection with the driver alleged kidnapping, officials said.
Sheriff Maddox emphasized that while the escape was a serious breach, her office acted immediately and will continue pushing for improvements at the jail facility.
"We know it's going to cost money," Maddox said. "But we either pay now, or we pay later."
Officials said no one was harmed during the escape, and the investigation into how it happened remains active. The three inmates are expected to be returned to Georgia to face their pending charges as well as new federal charges.