Convicted killer who walked away from work detail in Atlanta arrested 100 miles away

ATLANTA — A Georgia inmate who walked away from his work detail in Atlanta last week is back in custody.

The Georgia Department of Corrections said Melvin Barkley did not return to the Atlanta Transitional Center in midtown Atlanta after he walked away from a work release program.

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Officials confirmed that Barkley was arrested in Franklin, North Carolina on Wednesday at 2:50 p.m., which is more than 130 miles from where he walked away.

Barkley is serving a 30-year sentence for a deadly stabbing in Carroll County.

Channel 2′s Tom Regan covered this story back in 2018, when police said Barkley killed 23-year-old Tyler Waters, his brother-in-law.

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He pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, and other charges.

He is currently being held at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina where he awaits extradition.

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Convicted killer missing from Atlanta facility should have been taken back to prison, officials say

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