Escaped inmate should not have been at Atlanta Transitional Center, GDC says

ATLANTA - UPDATE: The Georgia Department of Corrections says Melvin Barkley was apprehended at approximately 2:50 p.m. Feb. 7 in Franklin, North Carolina. 

Through information gathered by the GDC Fugitive Task Force (SERTF), Barkley was reportedly apprehended without incident by the Carolina Regional Task Force, and has been transported to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina pending extradition.  

ORIGINAL STORY

An inmate who failed to return to the Atlanta Transitional Center on Feb. 2 after being allowed to go to a job should not have been at the center, according to Georgia Department of Corrections.

Atlanta Transitional Center resident Melvin Barkley was incarcerated for voluntary manslaughter and other charges.

Barkley was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault in Carroll County. He was also convicted of possessing a knife during a crime. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison without a possibility for parole, followed by 20 years on probation.

Barkley stabbed Tyler Waters on May 3, 2018. Barkley and Waters initially got into an argument during a telephone call. Water was upset that Barkley and his fiancé were living with Water's great aunt and not paying rent.

When Waters arrived at the residence, the two got into a physical fight. Waters won that fight and got into his vehicle and drove away. Barkley chased Waters and ran into his vehicle. The two men started fighting again and Barkley stabbed Waters in the throat, severing his cartoid artery and cutting his jugular vein.

Barkley left the scene of the crime and was arrested the next day. He submitted a guilty plea on Nov. 9, 2023.

Before Barkley was convicted of the manslaughter, he was convicted of theft by deception and theft by receiving stolen property in relation to an earlier incident.

Based on that conviction, which had a maximum release date of July 22, 2024, he was assigned to the Atlanta Transitional Center on Nov. 21, 2023, which was the appropriate placement for the charge, according to GDC.

After he was convicted of manslaughter, the GDC received the paperwork related to that charge and Barkley should have been sent back to the state prison. For some reason, that did not happen.

The GDC says it is conducting a review to determine if any internal or external breakdowns occurred as it relates to protocols and policy. Should any failures be identified, GDC says it will ensure any individual(s) involved are held accountable.

The GDC's Fugitive Unit is actively pursuing leads.

The Atlanta Transitional Center is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue near Charles Allen Drive NE.