Three DeKalb County inmates, including one charged with murder and one previously convicted of it, escaped from the jail early Monday and remain on the run, according to investigators.
The three men were found to be missing during a routine security check, prompting a search of the jail, DeKalb Sheriff Melody Maddox said in a statement. Local law enforcement agencies were alerted to the escape, and the U.S. Marshals Service is also involved in the search, according to the chief deputy for the agency’s Northern District of Georgia.
The inmates accused of escaping are: Stevenson Charles, 24, charged with murder and armed robbery; Yusuf Minor, 31, charged with two counts of armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony; and Naod Yohannes, 25, charged with simple assault, arson and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution.
All three may be armed and are considered dangerous, the sheriff’s office said. The public is warned not to approach them.
“We take this breach very seriously and are working diligently to ensure these individuals are safely returned to custody as quickly as possible,” Maddox said.
But Maddox offered no information about how the three managed to get out of the jail, or if they acted alone.
Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal John B. Stevens announced late Monday that a news conference will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Richard B. Russell Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Atlanta to discuss the escape. Officials from the Marshals Service, the DeKalb sheriff’s office and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia will be in attendance.
News of the escape comes less than three weeks after a Rockdale County inmate escaped custody while at Grady Memorial Hospital, leading to a search that spanned several metro Atlanta counties. After nearly three days, Timothy Allen Shane, 52, was located in Newton County and returned to custody.
In May, 10 Louisiana inmates made national headlines when they broke out of the Orleans Parish Jail through a hole in a cell wall behind a toilet, The Associated Press reported.
Some escapees were captured the same day, while others remained on the run, according to news reports. In October, the final inmate was captured in Fulton County, investigators previously said.
Charles is the primary focus of the current search by federal marshals. That’s because he was also convicted of federal armed carjacking charges in Florida.
“Let the message go out to Mr. Charles and all other fugitives. We are looking for and we will find you,” Thomas E. Brown, the U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Georgia, said in a statement. “Any person who violates the laws of the United States will not be allowed a moment of rest. You will never find peace. You will answer for your crimes.”
According to his 2024 indictment in DeKalb, Charles is accused of shooting and killing Carl Steinke in November 2022. He also allegedly stole Steinke’s 2006 Dodge Charger and a cellphone, court records state.
Charles has already been sentenced to life in prison for a separate case in Gwinnett County. In November 2024, he pleaded guilty to false imprisonment, aggravated sodomy, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery and two counts of aggravated assault, according to the district attorney. He was ordered to serve a life prison sentence with the possibility of parole for those crimes, which also happened in November 2022, according to Gwinnett court records.
Minor is already serving a life sentence for a Clayton County murder, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
In early 2024, he was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, the district attorney previously said. Minor’s life sentence includes an additional 25 years, but he will be eligible for parole.
In September 2024, a DeKalb grand jury indicted Yohannes on charges of arson and criminal damage to property, according to court records. While in jail, he was charged with simple assault and riot in a penal institution, booking records show.
DeKalb District Attorney Sherry Boston said her office is following the investigation and the search for the inmates. The jail is a stone’s throw from several county and government facilities near I-285. The other side of Memorial Drive is home to a county tag office, homes and apartments.
“We’re staying in touch with our public safety partners on this developing situation,” Boston said. “The public is urged to exercise extreme caution and should not approach them.”
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is asked to contact the sheriff’s office’s Fugitive Tip Line at 404-298-8200.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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