3 escaped DeKalb County inmates captured after they took Lyft to Florida, kidnapped driver

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The search for three escaped DeKalb County Jail inmates ended after they were captured by authorities in Florida, according to the sheriff’s office.

On Tuesday morning, the sheriff’s office announced the arrests of Stevenson Charles, 24, Yusuf Minor, 31, and Naod Yohannes, 25. All three inmates are back in custody.

The U.S. Marshals Service said Charles arranged for someone to pick up the three men from the jail and take them to Minor’s girlfriend’s house. They said the woman, identified as Gabriela Ortis, arranged for a rideshare to take them to the Miami area.

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All three men were booked into Broward County (Fla.) Jail late Monday night. Jail records show an armed carjacking charge for Charles. They were located in the vehicle without the driver, but were found with a handgun on them.

Minor was arrested at a nearby home near Miami with the Lyft driver.

It is believed the three used the driver’s credit card to get a short-term rental, court documents show.

Those same documents state the Lyft driver was “uneasy” about giving the men a ride, but agreed to.

U.S. Marshals officials said they likely lied about where they were headed when they booked the car.

“I suspect that the Lyft driver did not know that was the fare,” said Thomas Brown with the Marshals, who also served as DeKalb County sheriff for 13 years. “When the three men got in the car, they probably informed her, we’re going down 75-South, and that’s what happened.”

Once the four arrived in the Miami area, court documents say the inmates “wrapped a rope around the victim’s neck” and bound her hands. The Lyft driver later told police she “feared for her life.” She said she held in the car for several hours. She was also threatened of being shot, tortured and raped, court documents show.

Using license plate reader technology, the Marshals were able to track the inmates down to Miami.

Charles, after a brief chase, and Yohannes were taken into custody after they were found in the rideshare driver’s vehicle. A handgun was also found during their arrests.

Minor was arrested at the short-term rental, court documents revealed, along with the driver.

The U.S. Marshals Service said the man who assisted the inmates, Christopher Thompson, has been arrested and said the Lyft driver, a woman, was “traumatized.” Ortis will also face state charges for assisting the inmates.

On Tuesday morning, Charles and Yohannes were denied bond. Minor has not appeared in court yet and is in the hospital. His first appearance is set for Dec. 29.

FBI officials said all three are in federal custody and will face federal charges in connection to the alleged kidnapping of the rideshare driver.

The inmates will eventually return to Georgia to face additional charges.

The inmates initially escaped from the jail late Sunday night, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office. They did not provide details on how the breach occurred, but said about four hours elapsed between the escape and when officials realized the inmates were missing.

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The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said the escape was discovered “during a routine security check, which revealed the inmates missing.”

“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 we can do to stop it from happening in the future,” Sheriff Melody M. Maddox said while adding that the aging facility needs work.

Charles is in jail on murder and armed robbery charges; Minor is in jail on two counts of armed robbery and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony; and Yohannes is in jail on charges of simple assault, arson and unlawful acts of violence in a penal institution.

“The streets of DeKalb County are once again safe,” Maddox said while crediting the swift action of law enforcement.

Return to Atlanta News First for updates on this developing story.