Crumbling Jail Frees Murderers

Empty rusty prison cell with a small window.

Violent criminals exploited a crumbling Georgia jail to escape, terrorize an innocent Lyft driver for hours with death and rape threats, exposing dangerous failures in public safety under outdated leftist-era neglect.

Story Snapshot

Three inmates with histories of murder, robbery, and arson escaped DeKalb County Jail on December 22, 2025, using outside help and a fake Lyft ride to hijack a driver’s car.
The terrified driver endured 6-10 hours of captivity, bound with rope around her neck, facing brutal threats while forced to drive to South Florida.
Federal agents captured all three in Miramar, Florida, using license plate readers, ending the manhunt without further harm to the public.
Aging jail infrastructure allowed the breach; officials now demand funding to prevent repeats, highlighting chronic underinvestment in law and order.

Escape from DeKalb County Jail

Stevenson Charles, Naod Yohannes, and Yusuf Minor compromised their cell in the 30-year-old DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, Georgia, late on December 21, 2025. An unidentified man picked them up after discovery during a routine check early Monday. They went to Minor’s girlfriend’s home, ordered a Lyft under a fake female name, and hijacked the vehicle in Atlanta. Charles, previously serving a federal life sentence for kidnapping and bank robbery, led the group with his violent history including a 2022 Florida armed robbery.

Jail phone calls coordinated the outside assistance, revealing security lapses in monitoring. Sheriff Melody Maddox cited the facility’s deterioration, urging immediate funding with the warning to “pay now or pay later.” No guards were harmed, but the breach exposed vulnerabilities in medium-security operations that conservatives have long criticized as soft-on-crime mismanagement.

Brutal Kidnapping of Lyft Driver

Inmates put a rope around the female Lyft driver’s neck, forced her to the backseat, and began threats of death, rape, and torture during the 6-10 hour drive south. They demanded access to her phone and banking apps while heading to Broward County, Florida. The driver remained cooperative yet “very traumatized,” as described by U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown, underscoring risks to everyday gig workers preyed upon by emboldened criminals.

The group used her credit card to rent a short-term property in Miramar, extending their flight. This incident spotlights dangers in rideshare apps, where fake profiles enable predators, fueling calls for stricter verification to protect law-abiding citizens from such horrors rooted in lax enforcement.

Capture and Federal Response

License plate readers tracked the hijacked vehicle early Tuesday, December 23. A traffic stop led to two arrests after one fled; authorities nabbed the third at the rental, rescuing the driver unharmed physically. U.S. Marshals, FBI, DeKalb Sheriff’s Office, and Broward County deputies coordinated using jail phone intelligence. Federal kidnapping and escape charges followed, with FBI affidavits detailing the rope and threats.

Chief Deputy Temetris Atkins confirmed repairs to the compromised cell and ongoing reviews. Investigations target accomplices like the pickup man and Minor’s girlfriend. Law enforcement’s tech-driven success validates tools conservatives champion against rising crime from weak borders and underfunded prisons.

Implications for Public Safety

The driver’s trauma and community fear during the manhunt demand accountability. Short-term, public alerts lifted post-capture; long-term, expect lawsuits and nationwide jail upgrades. Rideshare companies like Lyft face scrutiny over passenger checks, while political pressure mounts on Sheriff Maddox for budgets. This escape, preventable with proper maintenance, reinforces the need for tough-on-crime policies under President Trump’s leadership to restore order and protect families from violent offenders.