3 GA Inmates Took Lyft To FL In Jail Escape: Sheriff

Updated 12:33 p.m.

DECATUR, GA — Three escaped Georgia jail inmates took a Lyft ride, possibly kidnapping the driver, to Miami, where they were taken into custody, authorities said Tuesday as they released new details into the saga of a murder suspect and two other men.

DeKalb County inmates Stevenson Charles, Yusuf Minor and Naod Yohannes were re-arrested in the Miami metro after escaping the DeKalb County Jail on Sunday night, Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins, of the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, said at a news conference.

"Here at the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, we jumped into action immediately, and we didn't stop until these individuals were brought back into custody ..." DeKalb County Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said at the news conference.

Authorities said the escaped inmates were facing the following charges:

• Stevenson Charles, 24, charged with murder and armed robbery (federal)
• Yusuf Minor, 31, charged with two counts of armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (state)
• Naod Yohannes, 25, charged with simple assault, arson and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution (state)

U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown, head of the U.S. Marshals Service's Northern District of Georgia office, said locating Charles became the department's primary concern.

Charles is serving a federal life sentence and has been either charged with or convicted of: murder, aggravated assault, weapons violations, sodomy on a person less than 10 years old, kidnapping, carjacking, armed robbery and probation violations, the Marshals Service said.

He had previous charges in Gwinnett County and was being held at the DeKalb County Jail on a production order for a Jan. 6, 2026 court appearance related to DeKalb charges, Atkins said.

RELATED: Murder Suspect, 2 Others Escape DeKalb Jail: U.S. Marshals

How Did It Happen?

Brown said the escape began with recorded jail calls. Charles had contacted an unknown male to meet him, along with Minor and Yohannes, outside the jail, the marshal said.

Authorities did not detail how the inmates were able to maneuver through the jail to meet the person or say if any officers were involved.

The male arrived to pick up the trio and took them to Minor's girlfriend's house, Brown said. He added the girlfriend then contacted a Lyft to pick up the inmates and take them to Miami, where they were arrested without incident.

It was discovered the inmates were missing during routine feeding time on Monday morning, Atkins said. He added authorities noticed a portion of the jail cell had been "compromised."

Internal security teams, along with other law-enforcement agencies, then began searching for the trio, authorities said.

They aimed to ensure the inmates were not still in the facility before alerting the public to not cause panic, Atkins said. The manhunt did not last longer than a day.

What Happens Now?

The FBI is interviewing the Lyft driver regarding potential kidnapping charges, Brown said.

"The Lyft driver is very traumatized by this," he said.

Since the escape, authorities have increased the number of rounds they conduct and have repaired the compromised jail area while checking other areas to prevent further issues, Atkins said.

The three inmates will be extradited from Florida to Georgia to face state charges, Brown said.

Now that they have been re-captured, Maddox said the focus is shifting to hinder incidents, like the escape, from re-occurring.

She noted the declining conditions at the local jail and acknowledged the costs for improving the facility.

"My primary focus is to make sure that you all know that the DeKalb County Jail is secure. This was a breach. We're not going to sit here and go back and forth and point blame. We're going to focus on what can we do to stop it from happening in the future," she said.

"We're going to be asking for things to assist us with this aging facility that's deteriorating right before our eyes. We're going to look at improvements that are needed here. We know that it's gonna cost. We know what it costs, but we either pay now, or it's going to be a payment later."

Maddox said the issue goes beyond answering 911 calls, which "is only one solution to the problem" and is handled by DeKalb County Police. Jail conditions, impacting both inmates and staff, is of significance.

"They're asking me to make bricks out of straws, and we're doing the best with what we have," she said.

Maddox vowed to care for her staff while treating inmates with dignity and respect.