Three inmates, one facing a murder charge, have been apprehended in south Florida following a brazen escape from a deteriorating jail east of Atlanta. Authorities revealed the men used recorded jail phones to coordinate with accomplices outside, who then arranged a Lyft ride to transport them across state lines.
The Compromised Facility and Coordinated Escape
The escape from the DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, roughly 10 miles east of downtown Atlanta, was discovered during a routine security check early on Monday, 22 December 2025. DeKalb County Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins stated the inmates managed to "compromise" a section of a cell to facilitate their breakout. Specific details were withheld to prevent other prisoners from exploiting the same weakness.
"We repaired the area that was compromised, and we’re looking at other areas that are similar to that to fortify them," Atkins explained during a Tuesday news conference. Sheriff Melody Maddox described the site of the prison break as an "aging facility that’s deteriorating right before our eyes."
The Outside Assistance and Cross-State Journey
Investigators pieced together the escape plan by reviewing recorded phone calls from the jail. U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown said the recordings showed one inmate contacted friends on the outside. These accomplices helped the trio evade immediate capture.
After breaking out, the inmates were met by an unnamed man and taken to a girlfriend's home. From there, a Lyft ride was arranged to transport them to an address in Florida. Marshal Brown noted the Lyft driver was "very traumatised by this" experience. The U.S. Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, led by Assistant Chief Inspector Eric Heinze, confirmed all three men were later captured in south Florida.
The Dangerous Inmates and Their Charges
The escaped prisoners, aged 24 to 31, were considered armed and dangerous. The youngest, 24-year-old Stevenson Charles, was being held on charges of murder and armed robbery. A federal affidavit revealed Charles had previously been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping and bank robbery. He was transferred to DeKalb County custody on 5 December 2025 to face the murder charge.
Court records from South Florida detail one of Charles's prior cases, where he allegedly met a man via the Grindr dating app in 2022, pulled a gun on him, and then forced the victim to drive to multiple banks to withdraw money. The other two escapees face charges including armed robbery and arson.
The incident raises serious questions about security protocols in ageing prison infrastructure and the monitoring of inmate communications. Authorities continue to investigate the full extent of the outside assistance in this audacious jail escape.
