Two Women Charged with Helping Violent Inmates Escape from DeKalb County Jail

ATLANTA - A federal grand jury indicted Melayna Whatley and Gabriela Ortis for allegedly helping three inmates, including a federal prisoner serving a life sentence, escape from the DeKalb County Jail in December 2025.

"Every jailbreak puts the public at risk," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Thankfully, quick action by numerous law enforcement agencies ensured the lightning-fast capture of the men who escaped from DeKalb County late last year. Now, the women who allegedly helped them bust free must face the consequences for unleashing terror into our community."

"This was far more than an escape from jail-it put an innocent member of the public directly in harm's way," said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. "These defendants allegedly helped violent fugitives evade capture, and their actions contributed to a dangerous chain of events that ended with an innocent woman being kidnapped and held against her will. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable anyone who assists violent offenders and puts our communities at risk."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information presented in court: In June 2025, Stevenson Charles was sentenced in the Southern District of Florida to life in prison for carjacking, kidnapping, bank robbery, and brandishing a firearm. On December 5, 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service transferred him to the DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, Georgia, to face additional state charges. On December 21, 2025, Charles and fellow inmates Yusuf Minor and Noad Yohannes, acting in concert, escaped from the DeKalb County Jail and fled to Florida with the alleged assistance of Melayna Whatley and Gabriela Ortis.

Whatley allegedly served as the outside conduit for the escape by making phone calls and text messages on Minor's behalf to locate a getaway driver before the escape. On the night of the escape, Whatley allegedly allowed Charles, Minor, and Yohannes to use her Flat Shoals Road residence to temporarily evade capture and to use her cellular telephone to contact additional co-conspirators. Gabriela Ortis allegedly arranged the escapees' transportation on the night of the escape by hiring them a Lyft rideshare driver.

After the escapees entered the Lyft vehicle, Charles, Minor, and Yohannes allegedly put an item around the driver's neck, dragged her into the backseat, tied her hands together, threatened her, and drove her vehicle nearly 700 miles to Broward County, Florida with her inside. Law enforcement captured the escapees and rescued the Lyft driver on December 22, 2025.

On February 27, 2026, a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale found Charles guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, Hobbs Act robbery, and possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

On March 27, 2026, Minor pled guilty to conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, and Hobbs Act robbery. On May 5, 2026, a federal jury in Fort Lauderdale found Yohannes guilty of the same three crimes.

On September 23, 2026, a federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted Melayna Whatley, 30, of DeKalb County, Georgia, and Gabriela Ortis, 22, of Miami, Florida, on charges of conspiracy to aid and assist escape, aiding and assisting an escape, and harboring and concealing an escaped prisoner. Law enforcement arrested Whatley on September 29, 2026, and Ortis appeared in federal court yesterday following her arrest.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendants' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with valuable assistance provided by the United States Marshals Service and DeKalb County Sheriff's Office.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.